


Into the Great Wide Open

by EdwardsMate4ever



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Abduction, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, Friendship/Love, Imprinting, M/M, POV Alternating, POV First Person, Rape/Non-con References, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-19
Updated: 2012-03-19
Packaged: 2017-11-02 05:05:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 44,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/365292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdwardsMate4ever/pseuds/EdwardsMate4ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A tale of tragedy, adventure and romance. After Bella is murdered, will anyone be able to save Edward from his grief? Lemons, Violence, Volturi action, implied mpreg. COMPLETE</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place in an alternate universe. Everything up through Eclipse has happened. Edward and Bella are married, and he has changed her into a vampire. She is 8 months into her new life. She was bitten and went through her transformation on Isle Esme, so the treaty with the wolves is still intact. Jacob hates them both, and is waiting for the day when he can attack and kill Edward for any reason. Renesmee does not exist.

She stood before me, quaking with fear. Her crimson eyes were staring down at the floor, unable to look me in the face. She already knew what my judgement would be. Her cohorts were struggling against the grip of my trusted Guardsmen. They had all felt the pain of my Jane when they were captured, just as they were numbed by my Alec during their transport to my lair.

Her family's golden eyes flashed with terror. They knew what would happen - what _had_ to happen. It was not my pleasure to erase her from this existence. But she had broken our most basic rule. Her new husband should never have let her out of his sight at such a young age. His confidence in her was obviously misplaced, and now they would both suffer the consequence.

"Please," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "Master Aro..." She raised her eyes to meet mine. "Let me explain." She raised her hand and outstretched it towards me, her face hopeful.

I shook my head and gave her a slight smile. "Dear girl, you know the rules. The Volturi do not give second chances. It may have been different if you had at least hidden the body. But in your violent bloodlust, you threw his body from a six story building, into a crowd, completely drained of blood, his neck marked with two deep punctures. It couldn't be more obvious his cause of death."

The future teller began to weep openly, as did the matron, Carlisle's mate. The blond beauty lurched forward in a misguided attempt to save her new sister from her fate. With one nod of my head, my Guards tore the offending women to pieces, tossing body parts across the room.

The shield screamed in terror, struggling in Felix's iron grip. "Please!" she beseeched me. "Don't burn them! They did nothing!"

I approached her and stroked her cheek with one finger. Her thoughts were filled with her family, her husband, her fatal mistake. "Fear not for them, child. They were simply too much of a liability." They would be scattered in the forest several miles away, and given the chance to fuse back together. In truth, they did not commit any crime. This mahogany-haired beauty would not be so lucky.

"Please, please spare me," she begged, sinking to her knees. "I'll join the Guard - my shield is very powerful. I'm sure I could be of use to you..."

One look into my unwavering eyes told her all she needed to know. Her head drooped and she accepted defeat. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, readying herself for the end. Waving my hand at Felix, he nodded and twisted her head from her body in one swift motion. The sound of stone crunching ripped through the room. I smelled the spark of the match that Demetri had struck and watched as he tossed it onto her headless body. It was quickly engulfed in purple flame. Her head was added to the flames as the fire licked her slight frame.

It only took a few minutes until all that remained of Bella was a smoldering pile of ash.


	2. Mourning

**Edward POV**

It started out as any other normal day, except that I missed my wife terribly.

She was off having fun with the girls, taking an extended shopping trip across Europe. She had only been gone for 5 days, but it felt like an eternity. I felt lost without my mate. After all, I'd been alone for so long, now that I finally had Bella by my side, I didn't want to let her go for even a second. It was Alice who badgered me into letting her go - calling me selfish and that this was a modern world and wives didn't have to answer to their husbands anymore. I didn't want to be controlling, so I let her go with no further complaints. I was lonely though, and worried. She was only 8 months into her new existence, and though she always exhibited impeccable control around humans, she was still so young - the urge to kill could flare up at any moment. She'd only just lost her crimson eyes a few months ago, and I loved her new golden shade. I really didn't want to pretend to like those red orbs anymore. But Alice assured me everything would be fine, and I trusted her. If Bella was resolved not to cave into our true nature, I could let her go. I knew I shouldn't worry about her, but I couldn't help but worry just a little bit.

So, today went as every other day had gone since they left. Hunted in the early morning hours, read a little, watched Emm and Jazz play some stupid video game for a while, missed Bella, played piano, watched a little reality TV. Then, in the middle of a particularly terrible episode of Real Housewives (yes, I was completely addicted now, thanks a lot Esme), I felt like my chest caved in. My vision went black and I found myself gasping for breath I didn't need. I felt like my whole body was on fire. It lasted for maybe a minute before I was left with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I decided to call Bella, but it went straight to voicemail. She probably was too caught up in whatever they were doing and forgot to charge her phone. I tried to shake it off, and uneasily settled back in to finish watching the show.

A few hours passed and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I called Bella a few more times, and when her voicemail picked up immediately every time, I tried Alice. Same result. I called Rosalie - straight to voicemail. Starting to panic, I tried Esme. Her phone just rang and rang. I threw my phone onto the couch in frustration and started pacing the room, wearing a mark into the floor.

"Hey, man, Esme's gonna kill you," Emmett snickered, entering the room and plopping down on the couch.

Jasper followed him in, perching on the arm of the love seat. "Edward, what's up with you? Your emotions are totally erratic right now."

I sighed deeply, "I don't know, Jasper. I just don't feel right. I feel like something's gone wrong in Europe and I can't reach any of the girls on their cells..."

Emmett tried to soothe me, "Aw, I'm sure that they've just been busy and forgot to charge their phones, or left them at the hotel or something. They always call us at night, don't worry."

"Yeah, Edward, they'll call us tonight, like always. Relax!" Jasper sent me a wave of calm, which did help ease my worrying somewhat.

"You guys are probably right," I said, sinking down on the couch next to Emmett. I let the calm atmosphere even me out. It was only when my brain had relaxed enough that I realized that, with the time difference, it was in fact nighttime over there. And that's when I heard Carlisle's car pull into the drive. He was actively hiding his thoughts from me, reciting some bible verses in Aramaic. Jasper sucked in a breath. _Holy shit, he is bereaved._ Alarms started going off in my head as I rose to my feet just as Carlisle entered the front door.

Carlisle's face was etched with pain, but when he spoke, his voice was controlled. "I have bad news. Edward, please sit down."

I stubbornly remained standing. Carlisle sighed heavily, but continued on. "Esme called me at the hospital. They ran into some trouble while they were in Italy. Bella was confronted with her singer, and she was unable to resist. Rosalie tried to restrain her, but Bella's newborn strength proved to be too great."

I swallowed thickly. My God, I could hardly resist Bella's blood when it sang to me after eighty plus years of control. I couldn't imagine how much torment she must have felt having met her singer at only eight months old.

Jasper spoke up, "Didn't Alice see this coming?"

I answered for Carlisle, "She wouldn't see it in time if it was a split second decision."

Jasper nodded in assent. Carlisle went on, "Once Bella was finished with him and she realized what she'd done, she panicked and tried to get the body away from her. In her frenzied state, she threw the body out of a window and into a crowd of people."

A collective gasp filled the room. We were all frozen in shock.

Carlisle took a deep breath before relaying more of the story. "Alice saw the Volturi coming. They tried to hide, but they were found quickly."

My dead heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. I searched Carlisle's mind, not wanting to wait to hear the rest, but he was still blocking me.

"Demetri," whispered Emmett.

Carlisle nodded. "Aro ordered them dismembered and scattered in the woods."

As terrible as that was, I breathed a sigh of relief. Fusing back together was quite painful, but at least Bella was alive. My relief was extremely short-lived however, as Carlisle's wall started to crack and his thoughts began to leak through. _How can I tell him this? It will destroy him. This life has been so unfair to my son..._

My voice shook as I beseeched him, "Carlisle, please, just say what you are going to say."

He shook his head. He stared at the floor as his shoulders shook slightly in silent sobs. _I can't say it, son. I'm so sorry. She made a fatal error. Your sisters tried to stop them, but the Guard destroyed her. Bella is dead._

I stood frozen in shock. I barely registered that Jasper was openly weeping from the combined effect of mine and Carlisle's turmoil, and Emmett was begging Carlisle to speak and tell him what happened.

Shock gave way to a ripping sensation in my chest, like my heart was being wrenched from my body. A howl clawed it's way out of my throat and all I could think was to flee this place, this house full of the essence of my beloved. I pushed past Carlisle and took off into the woods as fast as my legs could take me.

On some level, I heard my brothers shouting after me, and Carlisle telling them to let me go. I was thankful for that. I just needed to be alone with my tormented anguish.

I didn't even know where I was going. Nor did I care. My entire expanded vampire brain was being flooded with memories of Bella, and lamenting the memories I'd never be able to make with her. I'd lived long enough without a mate, thinking I had no soul. Bella made me realize I did in fact still have a soul, but my soul was dead without her by my side. I didn't want to continue living this half-life without my love by my side. This was even worse than the first time I thought she'd died, because now I couldn't even ask the Volturi for help. They were the bastards that murdered my Bella! Why did I give in and let her go? Everyone always pegged me as overprotective, but obviously I had good reason to be. I should've done what I knew was right and made her wait until she was at least a year and half to let her go globetrotting with the others.

My feet stopped automatically once I reached the Quiluete border. It was almost instinct not to cross into their lands, for fear of nullifying the treaty and giving them reason to attack us. I barely gave it a second thought as I stepped over the border. This was perfect. The wolves would kill me and take away my pain. And if there was an afterlife for my kind, perhaps I could be with Bella again after all. I ran on, fueled by my sorrow and the desire to just end it all. I was desperate to make it into the town, where there would be a multitude of wolves to fight over killing me. Maybe I'd even force their hand by draining one of their people. Why not? I just wanted to die.

I had only made it halfway to the town before my body seized and I collapsed onto the forest floor. I felt incredibly weak and sick to my stomach for the first time in nearly a century. I tucked my knees up to my chest in an effort to ease my sudden physical pain. The grief and pain and agony of my loss proved to be to much to bear anymore. I broke down, my body shaking violently with dry sobs. And then, I felt absolutely nothing. The world went black.

 

**Jacob POV**

It was so boring being on patrol these days. Now that the threat of Victoria was gone, we were patrolling alone. There wasn't really anything to protect against, since the Cullens were sort of our allies now, and they were the only vampires remotely nearby. Yet Sam still forced us to do it - just in case, he said.

I rolled my large wolf eyes and huffed as I loped along the borders of La Push. Sure, the rest of the pack wasn't perturbed by the Cullen coven, except for Paul - he was an angry kind of dude. He was on my side at least, even if it was just because he desperately wanted to kill some shit. He had a real hard-on for tearing vamps apart after the recent fight. I had a different reason for wanting to kill the Cullens. Or, more specifically, one particular Cullen. If one of the others got in my way, I'd take them down too, but my real beef was with pretty boy Edward. The fact that he loopholed the treaty and turned my best friend and not so secret love into the undead put him right at the top of my shit list. I don't care if Bella wanted to be a leech. It was wrong and unnatural. And goddamn it, I wanted her for myself. And now I had no chance of that ever happening. Yeah, tearing that leech to bits would do wonders for my psyche.

Much to my surprise, I was pulled from my musings by the sickly sweet scent of vampire along our borders. I skidded to a halt and sniffed along the border only to realize that the border was actually BREECHED. One of those fuckers actually had the gall to enter La Push. I grinned wide, my tongue lolling out of the side of my muzzle. Holy shit, one of them nullified the treaty. I was gonna kill some bloodsucking ass tonight!

I ran as fast as I could, following the leech's trail. Damned if the vamp didn't get pretty far in! The scent was growing stronger - I must be getting closer to it. It was weird though, that the scent should be getting stronger. Weren't vampires fast, and didn't they have super-hearing? Surely it knew I was coming - why wasn't it trying to get away?

The scent was extremely thick now, and I fell to my knees as I tripped over a large misshapen stone. The fall forced me back into my human form. I stood up, dusting myself off and rubbing my banged up knee. It was already starting to heal. Damn, I had to phase back. The fucking vampire was close, and it would surely kill me first if I approached as a human. I turned around to kick the offending rock.

It wasn't until my foot was already swinging through the air that I realized I hadn't tripped over a rock. Lying there on the forest floor, curled up in the fetal position, eyes staring unblinking and unfocused ahead was the vampire in question. Edward motherfucking Cullen. Well, if this wasn't my lucky day. I allowed my foot to connect with his shin, but he didn't move. Not that I expected him to react with pain from my kick - it probably felt like a fly landing on him. But he didn't react at all - didn't blink, didn't gasp, not even one muscle twitched. It was as if he didn't even know I was there.

Maybe I could make him move with some mental taunts. It always pissed him off when I screamed things like that in my mind. _Fucking bloodsucking leech cuntrag douchebag piece of trash. I'm gonna fucking kill you, you parasitic woman-stealing nasty dickwad!_ I stared at his unmoving form. He didn't seem to be hearing me. Okay, this was getting seriously creepy.

I knelt down next to him and pushed against his arm, rolling him onto his back. He didn't unfold from the fetal position though. He looked really bizarre lying on his back like that, his arms locked around his knees, staring blankly up at the sky. Maybe he was dead. I cursed to myself. Fuck, he was already dead, now I'd never get the pleasure of watching that moment of fear before I tore him to pieces.

I looked into those spooky blank golden eyes, searching for any sign of life, when my vision dimmed to everything around me. All I could see was Edward. Suddenly, he looked absolutely beautiful to me. My heart swelled, and I felt an incredible urge to help him - to protect him. Out of nowhere, Edward Cullen meant the fucking world to me.

I'd just imprinted on the creature I hated most on this Earth. Fuck my life.


	3. Confusion

**Jacob POV**

Fuck my life. How was this even possible? The whole purpose of imprinting was to ensure that the wolf bloodline would continue, right? The spirits really must hate me. Why else would they make me imprint on a fucking _dude_ \- my mortal enemy - a bloodsucker that was quite possibly deader than he already was!

My mind was reeling. No, he couldn't be dead. A vampire doesn't die like a normal person. Maybe Edward was in some kind of coma. He didn't need to breathe and he certainly didn't have a pulse, so there was no way for me to check. But instinctually, my inner wolf knew he couldn't be dead. You can't imprint on a corpse, even though, technically, that's exactly what a vampire is - a walking corpse. My brain felt like it was frying - I was so confused that this was even possible.

I wanted to run away, sort out my thoughts. But the imprint was winning over my rational brain. If I left him here like this, someone else in the pack would find him and not think twice before tearing him to pieces for being on our land. As much as I wanted to reject this new needful sensation, protectiveness for my imprint won out. I had to get him out of here. Goddamn it.

My inner wolf refused to allow my brain to consider any other options, and I felt my body transform. I braced myself for the impeding vile flavor that was about to invade my senses, cursing myself for even considering doing this. Gingerly, I took Edward's motionless form between my teeth, careful not to bite down too hard. I was shocked to find that I didn't want to immediately hurl - he kind of tasted like vanilla ice cream. His sweet scent wasn't as sickly as it had been five minutes ago either - it was surprisingly tolerable. I shuddered to think the imprint could work that quickly.

I pumped my four legs as fast as they could go, heading for the only man who might have a clue what to do - the doc. It wasn't long before I was galloping onto the Cullen estate. Not a moment too soon - I was salivating heavily around the body in my jaws, unable to swallow properly around him. He was getting too slick for me to hold onto much longer. I broke through the trees surrounding their house, only to find the doc and his two brothers outside waiting for us. Damned vampire hearing.

The brothers looked about ready to jump me as I approached with their motionless brother clamped in my mouth. I slowed down, dropping Edward gently at their feet, and sat down on my haunches, hoping that I looked submissive enough to hold off their attack. The big, hulking one made a move for me, but he was stopped by the doc laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait, Emmett. Let him explain," Carlisle said, nodding towards me.

Emmett protested hotly, "Wait? I'll tear him to shreds. Look what he did to Edward!"

"I see him," Carlisle announced patiently.

The cowboy eyed me cautiously. "I don't sense any animosity from him." His brow furrowed, a confused look crossing his features. "If anything, I only sense...love?" He looked me over, trying to figure out why I would be feeling that way.

I huffed, embarrassed that he could tell the very thing I was trying to deny to myself. Time to phase and tell them what I knew before they got tired of waiting. I changed forms before them, not really caring about my nudity.

I crossed my arms across my chest and tilted my chin up in defiance. "I don't know about _love_ ," I scoffed. Cowboy quirked an eyebrow at me, but I ignored him. "I found him like that. He was on my land. He's not responding to anything. I think he's dead."

Carlisle sighed deeply, shaking his head. "That's not possible. Emmett, Jasper, take Edward up to his room. I'll be there in a minute."

The guys grimaced at the feel of my slimy drool as the carefully lifted Edward from the ground and carried him inside.

As an afterthought, Carlisle called to them, "And Emmett, please get this boy some pants." His eyes settled on me, smiling weakly. "Thank you for bringing him home. I know you had every right to kill him. I fear that that is exactly what he wanted."

My heart took a swan dive into my stomach. Edward wanted to die? The only thing that could possibly make him want to end his immortality would be...

Carlisle seemed to sense my concern. "Jacob, Bella died today," he informed me quietly.

In any normal circumstance, I wouldn't have cared. I might have even laughed. I had once loved that silly girl, but she cast me aside for the love of the undead. As soon as she became a bloodsucker, she was dead to me. I'd already mourned her. I felt little grief for her death. And yet, my heart was breaking. The imprint knew how much pain it was causing Edward, and his pain was now my pain, just as his joy would be my joy.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. Carlisle approached me slowly and pulled me in for a comforting hug. His hands were freezing on my bare back. I sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder. I'm sure he thought I was sad about Bella. There was no way he would ever think I was weeping for Edward's loss. Not just Edward's loss, but also my own. I wept for the loss of who I was not half an hour ago. I felt like a completely different person, my allegiances had shifted so greatly. My body burned with the need to check up on Edward, to be close to him.

Carlisle released me from the hug as my tears dried up, holding my upper arms gently. "Would you like to come inside, Jacob?"

I nodded and followed him inside. On the foot of the stairs lay the pair of pants Emmett had left for me. I quickly pulled them on and followed Carlisle up to Edward's room. Edward was laying, still as a stone, on the giant bed he'd bought for Bella when she was still human. Somehow, I suppose with their impossible strength, his brothers were able to pry his limbs out of the fetal position, so that he was lying straight. He looked like he could have been asleep, if not for his staring eyes, blankly boring holes in the ceiling.

Carlisle was at his side in an instant, looking him over, peering into those vacant orbs. The pull in the center of my chest drew me to Edward's opposite side, and I found myself taking hold of his rigid, frozen hand. I felt his brothers glaring daggers at me - they must think I'm crazy. But Carlisle's kind gaze found mine.

His voice was soft and gentle when he questioned me. "You've imprinted, haven't you?"

"I- uh - I don't -" I sputtered, stunned that he could guess that that was what was affecting me. Stunned that he even _knew_ of the phenomenon. I wanted to deny it, but I felt too compelled to confess. "Yes," I whispered, hanging my head, my rational mind shaming the wolf inside.

"What the fuck is that?" Emmett raged. "What did you do to my brother?" His hands rose like he wanted to strangle me, but before he could step towards me, Carlisle came to my rescue.

"Emmett, it has nothing to do with Edward's condition. I'll explain later - now is not the time." He turned his face back to me. "He'll need someone who cares after he comes out of this. I'm very glad you'll be here to help him."

"That makes one of us," I mumbled, dejected.

Carlisle smiled wanly before rising and addressing us all. "It seems to me that Edward has fallen into a form of stasis. It's like a suspended animation. I haven't seen it before myself, but I have heard of a few cases where vampires are so incapacitated by strong negative emotion, that their minds shut down to protect themselves. And since the mind controls the body, well -" He gestured to Edward. "You can see the result."

Jasper interjected, "When will he come out of it?" His voice was heavy with worry.

Carlisle sighed deeply. "I don't know. It could be days, months, years. It could be decades. As I said, I haven't encountered this before personally. I've only heard stories."

Decades? No, I couldn't wait that long for him to come back! Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to help him and make him happy, but I didn't know what to do. I felt like crying. My voice was strained when I asked, "Is there anything that can be done? I only just found him. I can't -" My voice broke off then, a lump forming in my throat. I fought it with everything I had. I was _not_ going to cry in front of these other leeches.

Carlisle laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I'll do everything in my power to help him, Jacob. We love him too." He walked towards the door, ushering the others out ahead of him. "Come on, boys. I have a lot of research to do. And I'm sure you want to know about this imprinting business." They grudgingly exited the room towards Carlisle's study. As he closed the door behind him, Carlisle said warmly, "Stay as long as you like, Jacob." And I was left alone with the new focal point of all of my attention.

I sat down on the bed next to Edward's empty shell, wondering what was going to become of me. I was supposed to hate vampires. I was designed to kill them. I wanted to wipe them off the face of the Earth. Especially this one - the one that had caused me so much unbearable pain for years of my young life! All those feelings, all those predetermined paths I should have taken, changed the instant I looked into his eyes, down to his soul. I wondered to myself, why now? It's not as though I'd never made eye contact with him before, however unwilling I may have been. Could it be because Bella was dead, and the universe had freed his soul from her clutches for me to take? Or was it me who'd changed somehow, unconsciously? I'd probably never know. The imprint wants what it wants - there must be some greater reason for this. It certainly wasn't procreation. Could his soul be the yin to my yang?

And what would the pack do? How was Sam going to take this? Surely I would be cast out of the pack. The moment I phased, any other wolf would easily know that I had imprinted on a vampire. The others who had already imprinted - it was all they ever thought about. And I knew I'd be the same. Even now I had to struggle to think of anything besides Edward's well-being. Shit, I was really fucked. There was no way Edward was going to accept this. Would he, being undead, even feel the connection that all of the other imprintees felt? Only time would tell, and I knew I would give him as much time as he needed.

All of this contemplation was making my head spin. Exhaustion was taking hold, and I laid down, snuggling close to his side, draping an arm across his chest. His freezing skin was like a soothing ice pack against my own too-hot body. I only wished he was able to hold me as I held him. My eyes grew heavy as I drank in the very scent that had so repulsed me only hours before. Sleep enveloped me, and my dreams were filled with what the future might hold for us - no fear or hurt, only love.


	4. Awakening

**Jacob POV**

The following day, the Cullen women had arrived home, less one, and the doc was no closer to finding a solution for Edward's condition. The one that called herself his mother took up residence on the opposite side of the bed from me. Since neither of us were willing to leave him, we struck up an uneasy truce. Well, it seemed easy enough for her - it was me that had some trouble with it. For one thing, I wanted Edward all to myself. For another, just because my imprint got me loving one leech didn't mean I wanted anything to do with the rest of them.

But it was proving to be kinda hard to dislike this one. She was so sweet and loving and just possessed every motherly quality I could imagine a thousand times over. I don't remember my own mother, but Esme seemed like the epitome of mom-dom. She sat beside him, holding his hand in both of hers, rubbing small circles with her thumb across his palm. She softly begged him to come back to her, told him how she couldn't bear to lose him, as she thought she had when he thought Bella had died the first time around. She told him that Bella would want him to live on and that he was loved so dearly by the rest of his family. He probably couldn't even hear her, but her words affected me, even if they did nothing for him. It showed me the kind of person she was. I smiled inwardly to myself - I just referred to a bloodsucker as a person. My priorities were getting seriously twisted. But, truly, Edward was lucky to have her in his life. I couldn't help thinking that if the imprint worked reciprocally, and he allowed me to stick around, maybe Esme would accept me as a son too. Watching her now, I had little doubt that she would.

Esme stroked his hair soothingly. "Life has been so unfair to you, my son," she whispered, her voice strained like she wanted to cry. Yeah, it was kind of impossible to hate her.

Alice burst into the room, her face contorted in frustration. "I still can't see his future," she exclaimed, glaring daggers at me. "Why can't you just be normal?" she spat.

"That's funny, coming from you," I retorted.

Her eyes stopped mid-roll and her jaw went slack as her eyes unfocused. Esme sat at attention, staring intently at the pixie. Alice snapped out of it after a few moments and grinned wide. "Carlisle will have an idea in 10 minutes!" she announced. Esme's rigid shoulders sagged with relief. My heart soared - finally, Edward would come back to me. I squeezed his rigid hand tighter. Soon, he'd be able to squeeze back. In a flash, the other bloodsuckers flooded the room and surrounded the bed, anxiously awaiting Alice's vision to come to fruition.

My nervous anticipation was starting to consume me as I waited for Carlisle to come to his conclusion. I couldn't wait to see the light return to those beautiful eyes, but what if he wanted nothing to do with me? It was a very real possibility. He didn't imprint on _me_ \- we were enemies in every sense of the word only twenty four hours ago. If he rejected me, I would no longer have reason to live. I wasn't even sure that continuing to live would be a possibility.

As these thoughts tumbled through my head, Carlisle entered the room, his features set in intense determination. The rest of the coven looked hopeful, but nervous. After all, their fortune teller saw what Carlisle intended to do, but since she couldn't see Edward's future, no one knew if it would actually work. The blonde cowboy sent out some calming waves to us all. Even though I thought his power was unsettling, I welcomed it at the moment. Carlisle looked from me to Esme, searching for a spot next to Edward. I shook my head slightly - there was no way I was leaving his side. Esme rose and gave the doc a reassuring kiss on the cheek as he took her place on the bed.

We waited for an explanation from Carlisle, but judging from the tight set of his jaw and the look of conviction in his eyes, we weren't going to get one. The doc placed his fingers upon Edward's chin and pried open his jaw. I cringed to see the amount of force Carlisle needed to use to open that frozen mouth - if it had been a human jaw, it would surely have been torn off. Carlisle glanced down at my hand holding his son's, and issued a warning, "You should let go, Jacob. I don't know what will happen." As much as it pained me to do it, I released Edward's hand and rose to stand next to the bed.

Carlisle refocused his attention of his son's face. Then, he brought his own wrist up to his lips and bit down hard, tearing into the veins. His brow furrowed in pain as a collective gasp filled the room. He removed his teeth and hovered his wrist over Edward's open mouth. The dark brown fluid seeping from his wrist landed, drop by drop, on Edward's waiting tongue. I was disgusted - I wanted to look away, but I was drawn to the sight like it was a car wreck.

I watched Edward's face for any sign of a reaction. It only took a few moments. His gold pupils gradually turned black, and the corners of his eyes crinkled. His body gave a violent twitch, and faster than I could blink, his hands grabbed Carlisle's wrist and dragged it to his lips. He viciously bit into it and closed his eyes tightly. He sucked hard for several minutes - Carlisle had to brace himself against the headboard as Edward tried to drain him. I was actually starting to worry that Edward might kill the doc. Carlisle's face started looking sallow, dark bruises forming under his eyes. Esme rushed to Carlisle's side, and pleaded with Edward, "Please, son, it's enough. You have to stop!" He listened to her, begrudgingly releasing his hold on Carlisle's wrist, and sat up. Esme proceeded to lick her husband's wrist, healing up the wound. Edward watched her with a look of shame. I felt bad for him - he shouldn't be ashamed - Carlisle did what he had to do.

Edward was equally confused and horrified as he glanced around the edges of the bed at his relieved family. When his gaze landed on me, his brow furrowed and he grimaced a little before turning back to his savior. His face full of questions, he asked only one of his maker. "Is it real?" he whispered, obviously hoping it was some waking nightmare.

Carlisle nodded sadly. Edward's face crumpled as his shred of hope was dashed and he hid his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. "Why her? Why did it have to be her?" he whimpered quietly.

My heart felt like it was splitting in two - his pain was tearing me apart. I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't stop myself from giving his shoulders a comforting rub. He jerked his body violently away from me.

Glaring angrily, he snarled, "Don't touch me, mutt! What the hell are you doing here anyway? Why didn't you destroy me when you had the chance, like you always wanted? I practically handed myself over on a silver platter!"

"Where's the fun in that?" I characteristically remarked. But my mind betrayed my words. I showed him my memories of finding him there in the forest, thinking him dead, looking for any sign of life in his eyes and subsequently imprinting on him. I showed him that he was now the center of my universe, that I'd always be there for him - that I _loved_ him, even though I knew it was wrong and that he'd never want me back. And my mind pleaded with him to consider letting me to stay.

Edward blanched at my thoughts and huffed, "I really can't deal with your freaky wolf crap right now. I have enough on my mind as it is. My wife just died! Get the hell out of here - I don't want to hear you!"

Edward collapsed into a tortured mess of anger and despair, the warring emotions threatening to swallow him whole. His family all looked to Jasper, who nodded and placed a hand between Edward's shoulder blades. Serenity tangled with sorrow and rage. Edward raised his head and beseeched his brother, his eyes conveying the sadness that enveloped him.

"Jasper," Edward pleaded. "Please just let me have this. Let me have this pain. Don't take it away from me."

Jasper shook his head slightly, amplifying the feeling of calm in the room. I agreed with him - if Edward was allowed to fall back into his crushing despair, he might be lost again.

Edward balled his fists in anger, shrugging Jasper's hand off, fighting against his influence. He growled, shaking with the effort to reject the forceful flood of projected emotion in the room. I understood him - his need to grieve. He should be allowed. Edward heard my thought and glanced my way, his eyes reflecting a semblance of gratitude. He broke eye contact quickly though, and his brow furrowed with resolve.

One minute Edward was sitting on his bed, the next he was out the window, racing away into the woods. Without a moment's hesitation, I leapt from the window after him, phasing in mid-air. I wasn't about to lose him again, damn it.


	5. Acceptance

**Edward POV**

I could feel the presence of the wolf behind me as I raced through the woods. All I wanted was to get away from everyone and their pity - to be allowed to grieve. But this wolf, whose thoughts were entirely consumed with _me_ , wasn't going to let me. He was so close behind me, I could feel the heat radiating from him. How was it possible? I was supposed to be the fastest - how could he keep pace with me? My body could have gone on for hours, but my brain was too taxed by crushing despair and overwhelming confusion, and it ceased to tell my body to continue moving. Abruptly, I halted and sank down at the base of a nearby tree. I felt a rush of wind as the wolf raced past me, unable to stop as quickly as I could. I heard him skid to a stop several feet away, and lope back towards me, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I begged him, sickening myself at the weakness betrayed in my voice. I wanted to stay strong in front of this man-dog, but I was just too exhausted by grief to hold myself together any longer. I heard a sob escape my throat and my shoulders begin to shake. Jacob loped closer to me and butted his head against my shoulder. He nuzzled his wet nose in my hair as I fought to control my tearless weeping. Jacob's thoughts didn't help - my pain was his pain. This crazy imprint was causing him to care more for what I was feeling than for himself. His only desire was to somehow make my pain go away.

I should have been comforted by his thoughts, but instead, they enraged me. I lost my wife - I was in mourning! Why should I have to think about trying not to cause him sadness too? I should be allowed to wallow right now. I got hold of sobs as best I could and shoved the furry mass away from me. "Just leave me alone!" I cried.

The wolf's thoughts were tinged with hurt. _That's impossible, Edward. I've imprinted on you. I need to keep you safe. I need to make you happy._

I shot him a glare that I hoped was piercing. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you," I seethed through gritted teeth.

He winced at my words, but recovered quickly. _I beg to differ, Edward. You tried to kill yourself. And your grief is too consuming - if I left...I don't think I could see you fall into a coma again._

Surely there was some way to make him understand how I felt. "Wouldn't you do the same, if you lost the one great love of your life?" I spat.

Jacob cringed and I was assaulted by his mind's eye imagining how he would feel if I had been successful in my attempt to end my life. His imagined sorrow was palpable, and it rivalled my own in its intensity. He couldn't fathom living without me. His heart broke at the mere thought of existing without his imprint. He would lose the will to eat, to move, to speak, and he would slowly wither away until death claimed him.

I marvelled at the concept that he who had once wished me dead and hated me with such a passion could suddenly morph into this current state of undying devotion. His mortal enemy became his entire world. In truth, it was humbling and flattering, as strange as it was. I felt sorry for him, because I could never love him in return. He could never take Bella's place in my heart, and I couldn't let him believe that he could. "I love Bella, Jacob." I told him as gently as possible, "I could never replace her with you."

 _I know._ Jacob hung his head. _I didn't really expect you to._

Well, good. At least he still had some sense and rationality. "So, what exactly does this mean for me? To keep you alive, we would have to be lovers?" I asked, incredulous. "Because I really don't see that happening. I don't wish you dead, but I am not sleeping with you. In case you've forgotten, I'm straight."

Jacob rolled his giant wolf-eyes and whuffed out his nose. _It doesn't have to be like that. As much as my inner wolf would like it._ I rolled my eyes back at him and shook my head _. I can be whatever you want me to be. Lover, protector, brother, friend. You don't want to be my lover (but maybe one day you'll change your mind)_ I huffed loudly at that. He sighed and continued. _You don't need a protector per se, and you have plenty of brothers. Seems to me like you could use a friend right now._

I suppose he _was_ a good distraction from utter despondency. I hadn't dwelled on Bella's death as much as I would have if I'd been alone. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have him around. At least we had a mutual love for Bella in common. Maybe he could help me through this. Perhaps we could be friends. "Okay," I consented with a curt nod. "We can try."

Jacob grinned so wide that his tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth. I couldn't help but chuckle. He cocked his head back in the direction of the house. _Come on, let's go back to your house. I'm sure your family is worried about you. Race ya!_

That was a challenge I could never refuse. I took off after him, and quickly surpassed him. He nipped playfully at my heels as we sped through the woods. I felt better already.

 

_**Meanwhile, in Volterra** _

Aro stared blankly out of the stained glass window of his study, down at the hustle and bustle of humans going about their daily business in the square below. Externally, he was still as stone - to an unknowing human eye, he could easily be mistaken for a beautifully crafted marble statue dating back centuries. But internally, he mused, plotted and planned. His thoughts were consumed by the mind-reading vampire half a world away - the perfect complement to his own ability. Together, combined with his already extremely powerful Guard, they could exert complete control over the vampire world and leave them quaking with fear. _He wanted him._ One obstacle to obtaining him was already taken care of. Surely, the young vampire was broken by the loss of his mate - just as Marcus had been. The greater obstacle to overcome would be getting him to leave the binds of his coven. His loyalty to Carlisle was strong - it would be nearly impossible to break the bond between maker and progeny. Nearly. Aro's stone exterior cracked as a wry smile twitched across his lips. He knew what he needed to do.


	6. Friendship

**Jacob POV**

Emmett, Edward and I were gathered in the living room, watching 60 Minutes. Well, not really watching it - more like waiting until Edward's favorite show started. 60 Minutes always bored me to tears, so I let my mind wander, thinking through the recent upheaval in my life. Two weeks ago, I would never have imagined myself sitting virtually defenseless between two vampires in their own den. Fate apparently had other plans for me, and I surprised myself everyday by how easily I accepted it. The rest of the Cullen coven were slowly getting used to my presence and my "stench," as Blondie liked to say. Their gradual acceptance was to be expected, but I was consistently floored by how quickly Edward accepted the imprint. I couldn't be sure if he truly liked me or if he felt obligated to indulge the unchangeable imprinting process or if he was feeling fragile still from Bella's death, but regardless the reason, our friendship was as easy as breathing.

I think it unnerved some of his family. He never said anything about it, but I could just tell. I mean, who could blame them? Their recently-widowed brother tried to kill himself, and then a werewolf finds him and snares him in some freaky wolf phenomenon, and now the putrid canine is shadowing his every move, every day! If I were in their shoes, I would definitely be weirded out. But Edward never seemed to notice or care. He was always welcoming and kind to me, despite the sheer oddity of it all.

I tried to tell myself it didn't matter why he was being nice to me. But it did matter. I wanted him to be around me because he wanted to be, not because he felt obligated to. I never expressly said it, but I'm sure he knew that an imprint was irreversible, so he was sort of stuck with me. If he rejected me, I could die. And he was too good of a soul to let that happen. So I wondered if it was all an act, and deep down he really resented me. It was true that I did a great job of distracting him from his depression with my snarky jokes and good-natured arguing. But I worried that it might be healthier to let him wallow in his grief at least sometimes. Maybe he secretly wished I would just go away and leave him alone.

I was pulled from my thoughts by a cold hand squeezing my shoulder. An involutary shiver shot down my spine. I longed to be close to him, to touch him, to kiss him. I knew that would make him happy, even if he didn't think so. It would certainly make _me_ happy - nothing would please me more than to have my imprint fully accept me. I made sure always to block those kinds of thoughts from Edward. If nothing else did, that would surely drive him away. And something was much better than nothing for the imprinter.

"Jacob, don't think those things," Edward said, softly. "I appreciate that you've been here for me, and I'm glad that we've become friends instead of enemies. I want you to be here - I want you to stay. Without you, I don't know how I would have survived." He smiled brightly and gave my shoulder another squeeze before releasing me. I thought I might swoon there for a minute.

"Gee, thanks bro," Emmett huffed, crossing his arms in indignation.

Edward's expression was sheepish, and he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Sorry, but it's true."

My heart swelled and I couldn't stifle the grin that lit up my face as the 60 Minutes clock ticked through the credits. Edward suddenly got really excited and literally sat on the edge of the couch. "It's starting!" he said a little too loudly. I smiled to myself - his enthusiasm was so cute - and catchy. Esme brought me a bowl of popcorn as we settled in to watch The Amazing Race.

It was the most fun I'd had in a long time, watching Edward yell at the various teams trying to work their way through various mental and physical challenges in exotic places around the world. He was so into the competition that he barely noticed anything else around him. I took this opportunity when his mind was occupied to really look him over.

Edward was truly a vision. I've never seen anyone with quite that shade of hair before and it was always tousled, so he perpetually looked like he'd just been fucked. All I wanted to do was run my hands through his soft locks. Everything on his gorgeous face was perfect and symmetrical. Perfect nose, eyes, lips, jaw, even ears - you get the picture. And his neck - slender, but sinewy - I just wanted to taste it. His chest was broad, but slim. He had a very young looking body that toed the borderline between adult and teenager. It must be annoying for him to be stuck in that body for eternity. He could be 4,867 years old and still get placated and treated like a kid. That must really suck. I was also stuck for an indefinite period of time at the same age as Edward, but I had the advantage of looking like a built 25 year old.

I had to stop my appraisal of him and clear my head quick because the show was ending. Edward settled back into the couch, a smug smile plastered on his face. Apparently, one of his most hated teams got eliminated, and he was satisfied with the outcome.

"Seriously," he scoffed, angling his body to face me. "When will people learn to just read the whole clue! They tell you whether or not you're allowed to use a cab clearly. Really, how hard can it be? That would have never happened if they had just paid attention! I wish I could go on this show. There'd be no way I'd make that kind of mistake."

What a great way to get him away from here and really help him heal. I sat up a little straighter. "So let's do it! I'll do it with you!" I exclaimed. "We would so smoke the competition."

For a quick second he looked excited by my proposal, but just as quickly, his face fell and he looked down at the floor. "It could never really happen, Jake."

"Are you kidding? We'd be the perfect team. We're both strong and fast and inclement weather doesn't really affect us. You're like a genius and can speak all these different languages. The only obstacle would be a food challenge, but I could just do those. We'd totally kick this show's ass!" I was getting kinda excited about this idea!

"Exactly," Edward said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "We're _too_ perfect for it. Even if we handicapped ourselves, we'd beat the pants off them. It wouldn't be fair, and thus, not much of a challenge for us. Besides, I sparkle." I chuckled at that. He smacked me with a throw pillow. "So anyway, I try to content myself by just living vicariously through the TV."

"I guess you're right, party pooper," I sighed. We were silent for a little while before I blurted out, "Let's make our own amazing Race! We could travel to far off places and do crazy things like climb mountains and bungee-jump, and sail little dingys - just a bunch of things we've seen them do on the show - like reenact them."

He chuckled, but agreed with me. "You know what would be even better? If we asked my family to write us clues so we don't know what we're doing until we get there!"

"What about your mind reading? You'd know," I reminded him.

He shrugged, "They're pretty good at blocking me when they try - they've had a lot of time to perfect it - unlike some people..." He waggled his eyebrows at me, smirking.

Before I could defend myself against whatever errant lustful thought he might have caught from me, my phone started vibrating. I sent the call to voicemail when I saw the caller ID and laid it on the side table.

"Who was that?" Edward inquired. My mouth said 'nobody' but my mind said _Sam_. "Why didn't you answer it?" he questioned me. I shrugged, "It's not important."

Edward snagged my phone faster than I could blink and pranced across the room. I chased him, yelling, "Hey, give that back!" I almost grabbed it several times, but he kept sidestepping me as he scrolled through my call log.

"Six missed calls from your Dad and twelve from Sam!" He sounded kind of angry with me. "Jake, you can't just ignore your family because of the imprint. It's not right," he scolded.

Damn him for using the imprint against me. He knew i would do anything to make sure he was happy. He responded to my thoughts, "I'm sorry, but they obviously miss you, Jacob," He crossed his arms and looked at me pointedly.

I glared at him. I couldn't leave! What if he sank into a depression again while I was gone? He reassured me, "Don't worry about me, I have Emmett here with me, and Esme's in the kitchen. I won't be alone - I'll be fine. Go see them. I'll still be here tomorrow - I promise."

Grudgingly I agreed and made my way home to face what would surely be my banishment from La Push.


	7. Pack Bonds

**Emily POV**

My house was packed to the gills with massive wolf-men, as per usual. They sat around our small kitchen table in mismatched chairs, scarfing down the hearty, but simple meal of beef stew and baked potatoes I'd prepared for them. Sometimes, they ate so fast I wasn't even sure they tasted it. They always showered me with compliments and gratitude when they were done though, so I guessed they must enjoy the fruits of my labor. Sam and I didn't have much - no one on the reservation did. We went without the luxury of new clothes and technologies. We didn't go to the movies or out to Forks for a nice dinner. We had a duty to the pack to make sure they were taken care of, and that meant well-fed, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My mothering instinct was a strong part of me, and caring for the pack was an excellent outlet.

The normally animated boys (and girl) were eerily quiet today. This had been building gradually over the last week, but they had tried to remain light-hearted - up until now. One of our group was missing and everyone was worried about him, even Leah. Jacob hadn't been seen or heard from in two weeks. The last any of us knew, he had been on a solo patrol - a patrol he never returned from. The rest of the pack had organized a search party the following day. They caught his scent, co-mingled with the sickly sweet scent of vampire. They followed the two scents up to the border, but it continued into Cullen territory. Sam decided not to pursue the scents further, for reasons he did not explain, except that the Cullens had proven themselves trustworthy to the pack, and thusly, it had to be a new vampire they had smelled. Patrols tripled and they searched high and low for Jacob and the vampire that may have tussled with him, to no avail. They were giving up hope. Calls to Jacob's phone went unanswered, and we all began to suspect the worst. Jacob hadn't phased in two weeks, and it was unlike him to leave Billy unattended for so long. We had to assume that Jacob had lost the fight with this unknown vampire. There really was no other explanation for his sudden disappearance.

"Hey Em, got any more bread?" Jared asked, his mouth impossibly full. I couldn't help but smile.

"Of course." I rose to get the loaf and pop it in the oven to warm. I stared into the rapidly darkening dusk outside the window about the sink as I waited for the bread to warm. And then, coming out of the treeline, I saw him. His head hung low, staring at the ground, his hands were stuffed deep into his pockets, his shoulders were slumped, but he was there.

"Jacob! Jacob's back!" I cried, surprise and relief washing over me.

**Sam POV**

I smelled him before Emily said anything. Jacob had finally returned. And I was gonna let him have it for worrying us like that. I stood up so fast that my chair knocked over, but I did not stop to right it before I rushed outside to meet him. The rest of the pack followed me, but kept a little bit of distance behind me as I approached my beta, who was looking a little nervous.

"Jacob, I'm glad to see you're okay," I began. He nodded, looking a bit relieved. I would not let that feeling last too long for him though - I was about to invoke the power of the Alpha. "Now, I demand you tell me where you've been."

Jacob's face scrunched up as he tried to resist my demand, but we all knew it was futile. He had to obey me. He took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye. "I've imprinted," he said, calmly.

Well, that certainly did explain his disappearing act somewhat. But that was still no reason for him not even to contact us. "We feared you were dead, Jacob. We caught your scent mixed with that of a vampire here on the reservation just after you disappeared. We've been searching tirelessly for you or the leech for the past two weeks! Imprinting is a wonderful thing, and I understand the pull is strong, but it is no excuse for you to ignore our calls and forget about your family and your responsibilities to this pack!" My skin was rippling with anger - I was desperately trying to hold the wolf inside.

Jacob looked down, scuffing his shoes in the dirt. "I'm really sorry, Sam. You're absolutely right. I am so sorry I scared you guys. I wasn't thinking clearly."

I softened a little at his apology. It was hard to stay mad at him when I understood how strong the pull of the imprint is, especially when it was brand new. "So, tell us. Who's the lucky girl?"

Jacob shook his head. "I'd rather not say."

"What?" Paul said from behind me, his voice incredulous. "Why the hell not?"

Jacob waffled, "It's...delicate." I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Why can't you tell us, Jake? Is it a pale-face?" Seth teased lightheartedly.

Jacob's lips turned up at the corners slightly, "You could say that."

Leah crossed her arms indignantly. "You might as well just spit it out, Jacob. It's not like we won't find out next time you phase anyway."

Jacob chewed his lip for a minute, then mumbled something almost unintelligible. "It's imn."

"What? It's Iman? The supermodel? What was she doing in Forks?" Quil laughed.

"What will David Bowie say?" Embry chimed in, and the whole pack had a good laugh.

Jacob was not amused, and his face remained stony. He spoke loudly, emphasizing his words. "IT IS A MAN."

"Oh shit." Paul gasped.

There were murmurs erupting behind me. I held up my free hand to silence them and squeezed Jake's shoulder with the other. "That's okay, Jake. I've heard of that happening in the history of the tribe. It's rare, but it happens."

"I doubt that," Jacob said flatly. I gave him a questioning look and he continued. "I doubt that this has ever happened in the history of this tribe. It's not just any man. It's a vampire. I imprinted on Edward Cullen."

My hand dropped from his shoulder. My head swam as I tried to process what he'd just told me. A vampire? Our mortal enemy? Edward Cullen? His own personal mortal enemy? The rest of the pack was whispering amongst themselves as Jacob stared at me, waiting in fear for an outburst of anger. But I wouldn't do that to him, not now. It wasn't as though he had a choice in the matter.

I composed my thoughts enough to ask, "Does he accept you?"

He nodded, "In friendship, yes, he does."

"Alright, Jacob. Thank you for telling me. I understand it was very difficult for you. I am going to have a discussion with the elders in the morning about this, but for now, why don't you come in and have a bite to eat."

Jacob smiled gratefully, and I led him inside, shooting a warning glare at the others that could only mean 'Keep cool.'

**Embry POV**

After the most awkward dinner ever, I decided to walk Jacob back to his father's house. I felt bad for him. It was obvious that everyone wanted to shun him, but they couldn't per Sam's silent order, so they settled for the barest hints of acknowledgment. I knew how that felt, to be different from everyone else. I had to contend with my own dark past. People still speculated who my real father was. Everyone wanted to believe it was Sam's dad, since he was a well-known cheater already. But personally, I thought it was Billy. I always felt an unexplainable kinship with Jake - it would make sense for us to be half-brothers.

Our walk was silent but not uncomfortable. As we approached the house he shared with his father, I could feel the tension rolling off of him. He stopped at the bottom of the path to the front door and took in a shaky breath. "Em, I don't think I can face him, man. He's going to be so angry with me that I just up and took off without a word."

"Come on," I said, grabbing his arm and nodding towards the garage. He followed me inside and leaned up against his Rabbit. With a devilish grin, I slid a joint out of my breast pocket and modeled it for him like a QVC product. His smile widened to match mine and I took that as a sign to spark it up.

I lit the joint and pulled deeply, holding it in my lungs as I passed it on to Jake. He took a couple of long pulls before passing it back. The mellow bud was taking the edge off already.

"Hey bro," I said, between puffs. "How'd you come to imprint on a bloodsucker anyway?"

The weed was definitely working for him, because he told me the whole story about how he'd found Edward comatose in the woods. When he told me Bella was dead, I said a silent prayer for her. Sure, she'd damned herself to become one of the walking dead, but I'd known her when she was a normal girl too. I felt sorry for Chief Swan and wondered when or if he would ever find out.

Jacob continued to tell me all of the mundane details of their budding friendship as we finished the joint. When he was done, he stared off into the distance like a lovesick puppy.

I chuckled to myself. "How can you stand the smell?"

He smiled slightly, "Well, at first, it was horrific - made me constantly want to hurl. But, you get used to it. And Edward smells great."

There was that dreamy look again. I rolled my eyes. "So, is this buddy thing going to be enough for you? I mean, besides Quil and Claire, all the others want to fuck each other's brains out."

We both laughed heartily, a side effect of the bud. Jacob stopped abruptly, his face getting far away again, but not dreamy this time. Pensive. "I don't know, Em. I have to be whatever he wants me to be. The wolf inside me desires him, but it scares me a little. I mean, I never thought about guys before. I'm not gay."

"I know," I assured him.

"But, yes. I want him. Badly" He sighed heavily. "And he can read my mind, so I have to be careful what I think about around him. Cuz all I want to do is touch him and be touched by him..."

"Okay, spare me the gory details!" I cried, in mock-horror.

"Sorry," he replied, sheepishly. "But if he doesn't want that, I have to respect him. I'd rather just be his friend than nothing at all, ya know?"

"Aw, I'm sure he'll come around." I punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Come on, you're a catch, Jake! He won't be able to resist you for long."

He chuckled at that, then his face grew serious. "Hey man, thanks for being so cool about all of this."

As if I wouldn't be. He was always there for me when the rumors were at their worst. "That's what friends are for right?"

He smiled and looked down at the floor. "Yeah. Well, I should probably get inside and see the old man. Thanks for the smoke. I think I would've chickened out without it."

"No problem bro." He headed for the door. "Hey, Jake, wait," I said, stopping him. He turned back towards me as I fished a fresh joint from my pocket. "Hang onto this. You never know when you might need to chill."

"Good lookin' out, bro." He slipped it into his back pocket. We exchanged goodbyes before branching off - he to face his father's wrath and me to try to sneak back into my house without mom noticing.

_**Meanwhile in Volterra** _

Aro beckoned his most subversive lackey to approach him on his throne. Giovanni stepped forward and knelt before his Master in deference.

Aro questioned him, "Are you prepared for your mission?"

"I am, Master," Giovanni breathed, willing to do anything for his Master.

"Excellent," Aro purred. "Go now. Remember, you must wait until no one is home. Retrieve a hairbrush, toothbrush, stained bedsheets if you must. Remember that these vampires live as humans do. Bring me back anything that might have venom on it. I care not who's venom it belongs to, so long as it does not belong to the one I wish to acquire."

"Yes, Master. I will not disappoint you."


	8. Reality Check

**Edward POV**

Jacob had been gone a mere 11 hours, 43 minutes, 37 seconds, and already I felt unhinged. In his absence, all I could think about was Bella's untimely, cruel demise. I blamed myself. I thought about all the things I never told her, and all the things I never told her _enough_. I sat alone in my bedroom, gazing into her deep brown eyes through the photograph I held, thinking of all the moments and experiences of forever that we would never get to experience.

It was a shock to my system to realize how effective Jacob was at distracting me from wallowing in guilt, as I was prone to do. Although I did not entirely understand it, I was endlessly grateful for it. I didn't want to dwell in misery. Dwelling would surely ruin me, as I was now discovering in the hours he had been away. I found myself counting the seconds until his return as I sank swiftly into the black hole of depression.

I heard his mind before I smelled his strong, alluring aroma. The essence of his thoughts became clearer as he approached rather rapidly - he must be in wolf form. One word repeated over and over, tinged with urgency and devotion - _Edward, Edward, Edward..._

Instantly, I felt the fog begin to lift from around me. It didn't disappear completely; I'd been mired in it for too long for it to fully dissipate. That would take a little longer. Regardless, I felt better knowing that he was close by. Knowing that I would see him momentarily made me feel...safe. As if a vampire needed safekeeping from a shifter. This phenomenon was truly strange, but I didn't care. When Jacob was around me, I felt like I still had a reason to soldier on through my eternity.

Had I not had super sensitive vampiric hearing, I would have missed the nearly silent, unmistakable 'pop' of his shift as he emerged from the woods. He entered the house like he owned the place, walking wordlessly past Emmett and Esme, following my scent up the stairs. So brazen - I loved that about him. He didn't knock when he reached my door - he just let himself in. If that had been anyone else, I would have been enraged by the sudden invasion of my private brooding. But I needed him desperately now, just as I knew he needed me. The time spent knocking would have been one more moment too long.

The smile on his face faltered a bit when he saw me sitting crosslegged on the bed, holding the picture of Bella. _Damn it. I knew I shouldn't have left him._ "Edward, how long have you been sitting here like this?"

I bit my lower lip, a habit I'd picked up from Bella. "11 hours, 48 minutes, 3 seconds."

He sighed deeply and sank down on the bed beside me. "I'm so sorry I left. I knew I should have stayed here." _Way too soon to leave._

"No, Jacob," I said firmly. "You had to see your family. I thought...I should have been able to hold it together."

Jacob shook his head vehemently, pursing his lips. "I should have been here," he lamented, chastising himself in his mind.

I flashed him my trademark crooked grin. "You're here now." He visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping with the release of some tension. "So, how did it go?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

He shrugged. "Not too bad. Sam was pretty cool about it. He was pissed that I just disappeared like that, but he understands the pull of the imprint. He's going to talk to the elders and see if there's ever been anything like this before in the histories of the tribe."

"Somehow, I doubt it," I smirked weakly.

"Well, we know there's never been a vampire imprint before. But maybe there has been a male/male imprinting situation. Imprinting is supposed to ensure the passage of the wolf gene, so this is...out of the ordinary." I nodded in agreement. Jacob continued, "It was pretty awkward with the rest of the pack. But I think they'll come around in time, especially if Sam is accepting of it. Embry was really cool though."

"Good. And your father?"

He grimaced and stared at his hands, clasped tightly in his lap. He couldn't find words, but he showed me his memory.

_Billy Black was shaking, his face contorted with fury. "How dare you defile the Black lineage this way? Imprinting on your sworn enemy. Disgusting! What in the hell were you doing so close to him anyway? You're no son of mine. Leave now and don't come back. I don't want to see your face in this house ever again. Do you hear me? DON'T COME BACK!"_

As the memory faded, my chest constricted. It felt like my chest was collapsing in on itself. Jacob's father had thrown him out and it was all my fault. If I hadn't run onto their land, hoping to die, Jacob never would have found me and his father would still respect him. What was wrong with me? It seemed like every life I touched was destroyed. I was toxic.

As if he could read my mind, Jacob whispered, "It's not your fault. He's just an old man set in his ways. Shifting skipped his generation - he doesn't really understand what imprinting is like."

His reassurance made me feel mildly better. I realized that I was still grasping the picture of Bella. As I gazed down at her angelic face, a wave of sorrow washed over me. In a choked voice, I whispered, "I miss her." _I know. I miss her too._ I watched as he remembered times he had spent with her while she was still human. I let the photo slip from my fingers. My head fell into my hands and dry sobs flooded forth, unstoppable.

Jacob's sorrow seeing me this way was almost as palpable as my own. It was killing him to see me so broken. Tentatively, he placed his hand on my shoulder. I allowed myself to seek comfort as he drew me into his warm embrace. I cried for Bella's loss as well as Jacob's, and pitied myself for my role in both. He held me tightly, whispering that it would all be alright and that nothing was my fault. My tearless sobs began to quiet as my sole focus was drawn to the soothing circles his hands traced across my back. The heat emitting from his body effectively knocked all thoughts of Bella from my consciousness and I found myself wanting more of his gentle touches.

Jacob's mind was preoccupied with my well-being, which only served to intensify the strange urge that gripped me. My head was nestled upon his shoulder, my face against his neck. I was suddenly overcome by the sheer heat of his skin. I had never been this close to him before. I was awed by the strength of his arms around my body, and I felt something stir deep within me. I took a deep breath to try and steady myself, and my senses were inundated by the pure, unmitigated scent of his blood, pulsing beneath the skin of his neck. I fought the urge to press my lips to his jugular, pushing myself up off of his shoulder.

Our faces were mere inches from each other. We stared into each other's eyes. His mind was blank, but I could see confusion etched on his face. I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in his eyes - my own eyes were dark, black with need. I let my gaze fall to his full lips. Briefly, I wondered what they would taste like. And then, I was no longer in control. My body acted independently of my mind. My mind was admonishing me, screaming at my body to stop. But my body ignored my better judgement. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against Jacob's.

The shock of heat against cold sent a shiver through us both. Jacob was still for a moment, perhaps unsure of what to do, perhaps just surprised by the chill of my lips. I pressed him forward, running my tongue lightly across his plump lower lip. He allowed me inside immediately, reacting as though a beast was unleashed within him. His arms encircled my neck as our lips crashed together, our tongues stroking each other, exploring every inch of our mouths. His fingers carded through my hair, tugging, pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my own arms around Jacob's waist, further pulling us together until there was no space between us. The kiss grew to a fever pitch. He broke the kiss unwillingly, desperately needing to breathe. As he gasped for breath, he rolled his hips into mine. Feeling his hard, thick erection rub against mine snapped me back to reality.

Oh god, what was I doing? Bella hadn't even been dead for a month, and here I was doing god-knows-what with her best friend. I shoved him away, a little too hard. He stared at me, stunned into silence. I knew I should say something to him, but I could think of nothing. Instead, I fled, jumping from my bedroom window, hightailing it into the forest.


	9. Intervention

**Jacob POV**

Damn, after Edward kissed me and ran away like a blue-balling asshole, I really needed to spark up that joint Embry gave me. But I didn't want to do it alone, so I called Embry and asked him to meet me by the river spot just bordering the treaty line. That's where we were now. I'd filled him in on the kiss mishap, and that I was not sure what to make of it. Embry unfortunately had no answers for me on that front. I vowed simply to try forget about it for a few hours or risk losing my sanity obsessing over it. The weed was great for that. We'd been quiet for a while, just passing the joint back and forth, when Embry broke the silence.

"So, you're totally in love with him, huh?" Embry asked, passing the joint to me.

I took a drag, shrugging sheepishly. "Yeah," I sighed, exhaling the smoke as I admitted the truth out loud for the first time.

Embry looked like he was debating whether or not to ask me something. After a bit of fidgeting, he decided to ask. "But isn't he, like, a little old for you?"

I considered his question for a minute. It wasn't something I focused on, but the thought had occurred to me when he would randomly do or say dated things. "No, not really. I mean, yes. He's lived a long time, so he has a lot of knowledge and says things that sound like they're from another era. But really? He's just a seventeen year old guy that got frozen in time. Just like me." I shrugged.

"Like you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

"Yeah. Cuz as long as we're phasing we don't age, right?" Embry nodded. "And we only phase when we're around vampires." He nodded again. "Well, if I've imprinted on Edward and I'm always with him, I will never age either." I shot him a knowing look.

Embry was awed as the realization hit him. "Whoa, it's like a loophole into eternity."

I grinned at him. "Crazy, huh?"

"Shit man," he agreed. He reached for the joint I was totally bogarting. "Gimme that."

**Alice POV**

Vampire hearing has it's advantages and disadvantages. It really helps if there's danger around, but mostly it is just intrusive. You end up hearing things that you're really not supposed to hear. Usually I try really hard to refocus my attention when my family members are having private conversations in their rooms. But today, I admit it - I was eavesdropping. Hey, don't judge me. It's really off-putting when you're used to seeing the future and suddenly you can't. And I was worried about my favorite brother. I just wanted to make sure he would be alright dealing with Bella's death. Even though I couldn't see his future, I knew it meant that his future was entwined with the wolf. I also knew in my gut that Jacob would take good care of Edward - Edward just needed to accept him fully. So, yeah, I listened in - sue me.

Unfortunately for me, conversations with Edward were often one-sided. I could only hear what Edward said, and it was confusing me. I started to lose interest when I noticed it had been silent up there for a rather lengthy amount of time. Then I heard the unmistakable sound of lips meeting and the gentle rustling of clothing. I barely had the time to rejoice in Edward's acceptance of the situation before I heard a soft thud outside and Edward's scent was gone. Geez, that boy needed to let go of his guilt. He needed a push in the right direction. And I would be the one to give it to him.

I raced after Edward, following his scent to his favorite meadow. I allowed my mind to speak for me as I approached him, sitting in the middle of the field, knees hugged tight to his chest. _Edward, you need to let go of the guilt. Jacob is good for you. Don't push him away._

Edward shook his head, his features etched with shame. "I've cheated on her. She's barely been gone a month and I've cheated on her."

I sighed, sinking down to the ground next to him. "Bella would want you to be happy. And he can be the one to bring you happiness again. I can't see it, but I know it in my gut."

"You think Bella would be happy about this?" he scoffed, incredulous.

"Of course I do. She loved you both more than anyone else in the world, more than me, more than Charlie!," I insisted. "She would be content to know that you found happiness in each other."

"Maybe you're right," he conceded grudgingly. "But I'm not gay."

"Oh please, Edward. Pull your head out of the 1900s." I sighed in exasperation. "Besides, what is so wrong with being gay, anyway? The Spartans were gay!"

Edward watched his feet as he scuffed the ground with his shoe, creating a divet. "I think Jake only loves me because he has too - not because he wants to."

 _That's bullshit and you know it._ I had to convince him. I knew his future depended on it, even if I couldn't expressly see it. Without Jacob, Edward would die. "Edward, think about it. A werewolf is a better mate for one of us than a human."

He quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at me. He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for me to prove it.

"You won't crave his blood like you would a human. He's strong - strong enough that you don't ever have to worry about losing control. It would be good for you to lose yourself sometimes." He nodded slightly. I didn't need Jasper's ability to feel his resolve start to crack. "He could protect you from outside harm, just as you could protect him. He can keep up with you when he runs. He can be with you for eternity without you having to change him. With Jacob, you can be free. You're perfect for each other."

His lips turned up at the corners in a slight smile, and he rose slowly to his feet, extended his hand to help me up. "I should go find him. Apologize."

I nodded. He turned to leave, but doubled back to wrap me in a bear hug. "Thank you, Alice," he whispered into my hair. _My pleasure._ I gave his biceps an affectionate squeeze before pushing him away in the direction of the house. _Now get out of here._

**Meanwhile in Volterra**

"Giovanni, you've done well, my child."

Giovanni effectively grovelled at the feet of his master. "Thank you, Master. Thank you."

"I trust that you remained evasive?"

"Oh yes, Master. The Cullens had all gone out hunting. The house was empty, and I left no trace behind. I masked my scent by bathing in lavender perfume, a scent that permeates from the air fresheners in their lair. I am certain they will not notice much difference, if only that the lavender scent seems thicker than before they left."

"Very good." Aro dismissed Giovanni and waved forward a woman, who looked as though she was approaching middle-age when she'd been turned. The woman came forward and curtsied. "Josephine, I trust you will have what you need with this?"

Aro thrust a mattress-hugging bedsheet into her awaiting hands. Josephine held it to her nose and inhaled deeply.

"This will do just fine, Master Aro."


	10. Set Me Free

**Jacob POV**

Hours later, I was still sitting by the river. Embry had left a while ago to have dinner with his mom. But I wasn't hungry - I was too consumed by the memory of Edward and my kiss. My buzz had worn off a long time ago, so there was nothing left to distract me from it. I relived it over and over. I closed my eyes and leaned back on my elbows in the lush grass, turning my memory into a fantasy as I imagined things going further...

I was so wrapped up in my imagination that I didn't hear him approach. Maybe he intended it to be that way. Edward could be pretty sneaky. The wind shifted and I caught his scent. My head whipped around and there he stood, about fifteen feet away from me. His toes were flush against the invisible treaty line. His eyes were dark and his breathing was kind of ragged. He looked...needy almost.

A little shocked by my imprint's sudden appearance, I sputtered, "How long have you been there?"

His eyes darkened further and his lips formed that gorgeous crooked smile of his. "Long enough to know what you're thinking about." I flushed beet-red. He smirked and continued, "I can't believe you're remembering it that fondly, after the way I reacted." Edward looked down in guilt and stared at his feet, scuffing the dirt.

My imprint was feeling badly, and I couldn't have that. I swiftly crossed to the borderline until I was face to face with him. "Please, don't feel bad. I understand - it was too sudden. I'm sorry to have pushed you." It was my turn to look down at the dirt.

Edward lifted my chin to make me look at him. I couldn't help but notice that his fingers lingered a little longer than necessary. "You seem to forget, Jacob, that _I_ was the one who kissed _you_." I smiled wistfully. Edward's face scrunched up. He held my gaze as he spoke. "I owe you an apology. I'm sorry that I ran off without explanation. I didn't mean to hurt you. I realize now that Bella is gone and she's never coming back. It still pains me, as it always will. But she would want me to move forward with my life. Jacob," his eyes bored into me like he was piercing my soul, "I believe you could make me happy."

My heart soared - I felt like one of those cartoon characters with stars in their eyes. I couldn't believe he was going to give me a chance! I composed myself, but not enough to actually speak. _Thank you for trusting me, Edward._ My vampire smiled slightly, leaning forward to meet my lips in a chaste seal-the-deal type of kiss. Our joined lips hovered over the treaty line. Edward chuckled against my mouth and whispered darkly, "We're crossing all kinds of boundaries now."

His words sparked something deep inside me, and before I knew what I was doing, I was pushing him backward, further onto his land. He grabbed my biceps and pulled me roughly against his chest. "Now, let's do this properly," he growled, and his lips crashed into mine. I opened up eagerly for his insistent tongue and we dueled, unleashing all of the pent-up passion and sexual tension that had been building between us this past month. With every delicious, arctic stroke of his tongue, I found it harder to control my moans. My fingers twisted into his wild red hair, tugging him ever closer. I wanted to be so close that we were practically one being - I wanted to be inside him, and have him inside me.

Hearing my thoughts, Edward let out a husky groan, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing our chests together. We both sighed at the contact and further deepened the kiss. I didn't want to stop, but I really needed air. I grudgingly broke free from his mouth, pulling desperate gulps into my lungs. He took the opportunity to trail his lips along my jaw, working his way down the slope of my neck. Every chilled press of his moistened lips against my feverish skin sent a shock-wave through my nervous system, and my groin ached for attention. I did my best to ignore it, not wanting to freak Edward out again.

Edward must have heard my internal conflict because he whispered into my ear, in a voice just dripping with sex, "It's okay. I want it."

In one fluid movement, Edward had my back pressed against a large oak tree and my body was covered by his. I failed to suppress a long, drawn-out moan when our clothed erections brushed together. He hissed at the contact too, so I let go of my inhibitions, confident that he was enjoying this as much as I was. Our mouths attacked again, one seeking to claim the other. He ground his hips against mine in a steady rotation, making my cock engorge to a point harder than I'd ever been before.

I had very limited sexual experience, but my body knew what it was doing while my mind was rapidly broken down by each sensation. Edward's breathing had become labored as he moved to assault my neck with light little nips. He sucked on my jugular, surely leaving a mark. I craned my head back, allowing him better access. The dueling senses of desire and danger sent me spiralling out of control. I needed to feel more of him. I bucked my hips harshly against his straining erection as I slid my hands beneath the hem of his shirt. He made a sound like a purr that was so fucking hot.

His skin was so firm and cool - I was desperate to feel his bare chest pressed against mine. "Yes," he groaned and lifted his arms. I practically ripped the offending material over his head, tossing it away. I froze for a moment, just drinking in the sight of him - every smooth, perfectly formed muscle (not too big - but rather lean), and not a mark anywhere - just an expanse of perfect, beautiful skin. I reached out and ran my hands over the defined muscles of his abs and chest, up and down his arms. The coldness of his skin felt amazing under my heated hands - it felt like we were the perfect temperature balance for each other. He leaned into my touch, moaning when I brushed my fingertips over his little puckered pink nipples. He shuddered violently, and tore my shirt down the front, ripping it from my shoulders and letting the tattered pieces flutter to the ground. Once the shirt was out of the way, he ran his hands swiftly over my body, memorizing every curve of bulging muscle on my torso. My back arched into his touch. My cock was so hard that it was becoming painful. I thought I might cum just from him touching me.

Edward wrapped me in his strong embrace, lips meeting mine, and laid me out on the ground at the base of the tree. He nestled himself between my legs and pressed his hips against mine again, more urgently than before. My hands ghosted down his spine as our chests rubbed against each other with every thrust of his cock. I grabbed hold of his firm, perfect little ass and bucked up into him, making sure our cocks never lost the delicious friction we both needed so badly. We were moaning and softly cursing and beseeching God all at once as our hips sped up their grinding motion. The coil in my belly threatened to burst - I was so close. I opened my eyes and pulled my head back to see if Edward was close too. His golden eyes were shut tightly, a mix of intense pain and pleasure etched in his features. Seeing him right there with me at the edge pushed me right over it. I cried out loudly as I came in my shorts. I guess I must look hot when I cum, because Edward was right behind me, moaning my name as he buried his face in my shoulder.

We paid no mind to the sticky mess staining both of our pants. We simply held on tight to each other as we came down from our mutual high. He rolled off of me, pulling me with him until I rested on my side, nestled in the crook of his arm. We didn't speak at all, we just basked in the afterglow.

After a time, it occurred to me that Edward had never done anything like this with anyone but Bella. He cringed a little at the thought of her, confirming my suspicion. I turned my head to look up at him. He turned his face away, but not before I saw a hint of guilt in his eyes. I sought to reassure my vampire.

_Of course you love Bella. You always will. But you were always her protector - first when she was human, then when she was a newborn. You never had a chance to just BE with her. She always put you on a pedestal, like if you didn't know the answers to everything, the world might collapse. I won't do that to you. You can love me differently than you loved her._

Edward turned his body so that he was resting on his side, propped up on his elbow, facing me. He stared me straight in the eye, probably searching my mind for any doubts. I held his eye contact, and continued aloud.

"We can just have fun. You don't have to ever worry about me, because I can protect myself. You can finally just be what you really are - a seventeen year old guy who got frozen in time. With me, you can be free."

He didn't say anything for a long time - we just stared into each other's eyes - into each other's souls. His brow furrowed, and I thought for a minute he might cry if he were able to. Finally, a slow smile spread across his face, and he grabbed me up in a tight embrace.

"Yes, Jacob. I want to be free."

**Meanwhile in Volterra**

Aro regarded the beautiful woman standing before him. He was impressed - not two hours before she had been the mousy, yet still lovely, middle-aged Josephine. Now, she was absolutely stunning - the spitting image of the original vampire she imitated, from the shape of her fingernails to the golden hue of her eyes. This was the first time Aro had seen Josephine use her ability, and in truth, it astounded him that she was able to adopt another's form so completely.

Aro chuckled darkly, and addressed the copycat. "Your talent is so thorough, dear one. I almost wish it had been a man's venom on those sheets."

Josephine smiled a bit nervously, but she stood proud. When she spoke, it was no longer her voice, but that of another. "Thank you, sire. I could have copied a male just as easily."

"Of that I have no doubt." Aro motioned for Alec to come forward. "Dear Alec, you are to accompany Josephine to Forks. Catch the vampire alone and use your power to subdue her so our copy can infiltrate."

Alec nodded his assent. Aro turned back to Josephine. "You have a fortnight to learn the coven's weaknesses. On the last day, I will send more of the Guard to help you obtain my mind-reader."

Josephine inclined her head slightly to convey her understanding. Aro grinned, tenting his fingers in excitement.

"Excellent. Serve me well, children. Make me proud."


	11. The Legend

**Edward POV**

**5 days later**

The whole family was gathered in the living room, occupying themselves in various ways. I was rereading War and Peace. Or rather, I was attempting to. The active minds around me were driving me to distraction more than usual. All of the women in the family were behaving strangely as of late.

Carlisle and Esme were building a castle out of several decks of cards. Not an unusual activity for my family members - except for Esme. She normally avoided such trivialities because, should the castle fall, the ensuing mess would distress her. And if there was anything Esme hated, it was a mess. I guess it was the innate homemaker in her. Their castle had already fallen twice, and both times she simply laughed, gathered the cards with Carlisle's help and tried again.

I dismissed this out of character behavior because something even stranger was occurring between Alice and Jasper. They were engaged in a game of chess. And, somehow, Jasper was winning. Considering Alice's gift, that _never_ happened. I could hear him plotting out his plan of action in his mind - making decisions that Alice should surely be seeing. A quick focus on Alice's mind revealed to me that she was not employing her gift at all - a gift that, as a rule, she could not control. I attributed it to Jacob's presence, and moved on to the deviation in character that was the oddest to me.

Rosalie. She was actually enjoying watching Emmett and Jacob play Call of Duty on Xbox. She was cheering them on and laughing - not a trace of spite or annoyance present in her mind. Traditionally, Rosalie hated video games and she was the least receptive to the presence of the "dog," as she so kindly named Jacob. I found myself staring at her in disbelief. She felt my eyes on her, turned to me and actually _smiled_ before returning her attention to the game. I couldn't suppress the involuntary shudder that coursed through me.

Of course, I should be happy that my most volatile sibling was being so accepting of Jacob. It seemed that everyone was pleased to have him here, initially due to his calming effect on me, but gradually, as they got to know him, they began to genuinely enjoy his company.

For my part, it was refreshing being with the wolf. With Bella, it was different. She was a challenge - a puzzle since her mind was silent to me. With Jacob, his mind was quite clear. And loud. But I didn't mind much, because Jacob's thoughts were pure. That's not to say that the content of his thoughts were always innocent - they were often dirty or crude. But whatever thoughts he had, he would not be afraid to voice - to me, or anyone. He was much like Emmett in that way - I never felt any discomfort around either of them because they had nothing to hide. I always thought I would be forever alone, turned off by the mind of any potential lover. I was lucky enough to find not just one, but two perfect matches. I really couldn't be more fortunate.

Smiling to myself, I returned my attention to my book. Not two paragraphs in however, I caught the scent of a new wolf approaching the house. I quickly latched onto his mind. It was Sam - he'd finished researching the ancient scriptures and sought to share his knowledge with Jake.

"Sam's coming," I announced. "Maybe he has some answers."

Everyone looked to Jacob, who immediately paused the video game. His mind was a mix of excitement and nervousness. _About time! But what if he says something I don't want to hear?_

He stood up and walked toward the door, pausing beside my chair. "Come with me?" he asked, tentatively. I rested my book on the arm of the chair to keep my place. Standing next to him, I took his hand and gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Truthfully, I was nervous about what Sam had to say too. He smiled back shyly, looking down in mild embarrassment at the fact that he wanted me there in case things got ugly.

"It'll be alright," I assured him in a quiet voice as we headed outside to meet Sam.

Sam was just emerging from pulling his pants on in the woods as we walked outside, hand in hand. He smiled slightly at the sight of our joined hands, causing the bags under his eyes to look puffier. He must have been working hard to find a reason for Jake's imprint, even forgoing the necessity of sleep.

"Jacob. Edward," Sam nodded to each of us in greeting.

"Sam. Did you learn anything?" Jacob questioned, getting to the point. He was not one to wait patiently.

"I did. I pored over the scriptures and journals, as well as questioning each Elder in turn. There has never been an instance of a shifter imprinting on a vampire in our history," Sam explained.

Of course this was no surprise to either of us. It was way too unlikely. I remained silent, and Jacob nodded to show that he'd heard.

"I did, however, find one case of a man imprinting on another man." Jacob's eyes widened and he leaned his body forward, eager to hear more. Sam continued, "It was Collin's great-grandfather, Lokni Littlesea. He imprinted on a human male. The man, called Steven, accepted the imprint in its entirety."

Sam raised his eyebrows to emphasize that he meant they had become lovers - though we both had come to that conclusion. "Good," said Jacob, squeezing my hand. I turned my head to meet his gaze as he spoke lowly to me, "At least we're not the only ones."

Sam cleared his throat. "There's more." We both turned back to face him. "It is believed that the reason we imprint is to ensure the propagation of the shifter genetic code." Jacob's raised an eyebrow in question - he already knew this. Sam took a deep breath, averting his eyes. "The human, well...his body feminized over time, developing a womb and birth canal of sorts. Collin's grandfather was birthed by Steven."

Jacob gasped, "How is that possible? A man can't carry a child!" His grip on my hand grew tighter. If I were human, he would be bruising the bones.

Sam shrugged. "The details were not written about, but my guess is it has something to do with the mystical pull of the imprint. It was very taboo - there was not much in the records on the subject. I learned of it through word of mouth, mostly. You know how much is lost through oral history. Who knows how true it is, really."

Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. _God, I hope it's not true. Aren't we freaks enough?_ "Yeah, it's probably just a cautionary tale to curb same-sex relationships."

"Back then, humans weren't as accepting as they are today," I agreed.

Sam nodded, looking more at ease. "I wouldn't worry too much. You know how sometimes these stories take on a life of their own."

"Even if it were true, it could never happen to us," I added. "My body hasn't changed in over a century. I barely retained any human functions. It's just not possible."

Both Sam and Jake were relieved by my words. Sam sighed, "Well, just wanted to let you know what I found out. If I'm not home for dinner soon, Emily will have my head."

Jake chuckled at that. "Thanks for checking into it, Sam. I really appreciate it."

"No problem, brother. Come on by the Rez sometime. We miss you." Sam looked me in the eye, "You too, Edward."

"Thanks," I replied, genuinely surprised by his invitation.

Jacob shook hands with Sam and he was on his way. We stood in silence after Sam left, absorbing what we'd just learned. Jacob and I were truly an anomaly. Obviously, my body was unchangeable. If the Littlesea story was true, the Black bloodline could not continue. When Billy found out...

"Your dad is really going to hate me now," I whispered, forlorn. I hated putting Jacob in this position.

Jacob shrugged, unfazed. He'd already accepted that his father was no longer interested in being a part of his life. "My sisters can continue the bloodline."

His easy acceptance of our relationship never ceased to amaze me. My love for Jacob was growing by the day. Although we had not yet consummated our union in the traditional sense, we had discovered each other in other ways. We'd seen each other naked, and put our hands and mouths to good use. But we never ventured into the unknown territory of becoming one. In truth, it scared me. I'd never been with a man, and I wasn't entirely sure of what to do. Jacob was a virgin and I felt it was my responsibility to make it perfect for him. I knew the mechanics of course, but I didn't know how to get to that point - how to make it pleasurable and not painful. Other people's thoughts mainly focused on the main event, not the necessary preparation.

Jacob's thoughts were currently taking a similar path. He wasn't nervous about it at all - in fact, he was growing increasingly impatient with my hesitation. One thing I knew for certain. "You know why else that story won't be true for us?" I asked him, teasingly. He quirked an eyebrow at me. _Why?_ "Should we ever come to know each other in that way, I would not submit myself to you anyway," I chuckled, even though there was truth in that statement.

Jacob eyed me, aware that I was actually serious, but decided to play it off. "Whatever, Blaze. We'll see about that."

We playfully shoved each other as we made our way back inside. Tonight, when Jacob fell asleep, I had some research to do.


	12. Consummation

**Edward POV**

**Several days later**

In the past week, I'd spent Jacob's unconscious nighttime hours immersed in the world of internet porn. Although I still felt somewhat unsure of myself, I was more confident than before that I could give Jacob what he wanted without hurting him. If he was entirely human, I wouldn't consider doing the things I'd seen in those videos - but he wasn't entirely human. He matched me in strength, and his advanced healing would keep him safe from any permanent injury. Still, I would have to be cautious.

Tonight was the night. I had spent the previous evening providing a romantic setting in my private cottage while he slept. The thought had occurred to me as I set up candles that I was about to sully my deceased wife's memory by claiming her best friend in our marriage bed. But I'd pushed those worries to the back of my mind, reassuring myself that Bella would be pleased with this development in our relationship.

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

That night, I took him on a hunt. Not only would hunting ensure that I wasn't overcome with the desire to feed from him in a fit of passion, but I also knew that he found my grace and speed to be an incredible turn on. Once I was sated, we playfully raced through the woods as I led him to the cottage. He phased when we arrived, pulling on his cutoffs.

"What are we doing here?" he managed to ask before I swept him up in my arms bridal-style. He swatted at my shoulder, embarrassed to be carried over the threshold. "Hey! Put me down!"

Stepping over the threshold of the structure, I kissed him gently and placed him back on his feet, shutting the door behind us. He gave me a hard glare for damaging his pride before turning around to take in his surroundings. Candles covered every available surface, emitting a dim glow that revealed the bouquets of flowers I'd strategically placed around the room. His immediate reaction was surprise, followed by delight. Then he got embarrassed about his delight and he tried to save face.

Crossing his arms over his chest, he shook his head derisively as he surveyed his surroundings. _Oh geez, what a romantic._ I couldn't help but smirk at his thoughts because underneath the snark, I knew he was actually quite taken with my little display.

Scoffing at me, he said "Isn't fire bad for vampires?"

I let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, but most of these are LED." He nodded, his expression softening. "Have a seat," I said, gesturing toward the small sofa.

Jacob ventured over, warily glancing around the room, and perched on the edge. I swiftly and gracefully slid onto the cushion behind him, nestling his body between my legs. He startled in surprise, but then shock gave way to comfort and ease when I began to rub the soreness from his shoulders. I'd never actually given a massage before - vampires didn't need them, and I was to afraid to hurt Bella when she was human. But I didn't have to fear my own strength when I was with Jacob, plus I had two medical degrees, so I knew which spots usually carried the most tension. Judging from the spoken (and unspoken) sighs of contentment, it seemed I was doing just fine.

I worked the kinks from the base of Jacob's neck, out to his shoulders, and down to his biceps. _God, that feels good._ Out loud, my wolf gave a quiet sigh of relaxation. Running my hands back up his arms, I let them glide over his muscular back until I reached the hem of his shirt. Lifting the hem a little, I silently asked his permission. Jacob raised his arms over his head in answer to my implied question. I took it off rapidly, gently tossing it to the side before returning my cool hands to the skin of his feverish back. I shivered, the temperature difference sending a jolt to my groin. I wondered what it would feel like to be inside his heat.

As I worked on the muscles connecting to his spine, he leaned into my touch, his head tipping back to rest on my shoulder, and let out a sigh of contentment. It was almost like a purr. _Mmmm...feels so good._ His soft moans were making me harder than I'd been in a long time. I wanted him so bad. I wanted to _possess_ him. To feel his molten body wrapped tight around my painfully engorged cock. I wanted to show him just how much I loved having him in my life.

But I had to make absolutely sure he wanted it too. Leaning forward, my lips grazed over the vertebrae in his neck as I lightly pressed my erection against his plump rear. Jacob gasped at the contact and rocked back into my lap, encouraging me. _Yes..._

The passion this wolf inspired in me was starting to consume my control. In the blink of an eye, I slipped my own shirt over my head and grasped his biceps, pulling him back against my chest. The heat of him seared my skin, electrifying my nerve endings, making me feel alive. Jacob's mind was incoherent, but his jumbled thoughts told me he felt similarly about my coldness. I nudged his neck with my nose, inhaling his thick, manly scent. He smelled like the woods, like pine and fresh earth.

Jacob got the message almost instantly, craning his neck to give my mouth better access. I attacked that sinewy neck, sucking the skin hard, marking him as mine for however long the bruise would last. He cried out as I sucked, the pain of the burst blood vessels exciting him. His arteries pulsed with his thumping heartbeat, the blood rushing through his body at a heightened speed. My cock strained against my pants as I fought the urge to have a taste.

Jake chose that moment to start rotating his hips against my burgeoning erection, effectively taking my mind off of biting him. God, I was so hard I thought my cock would explode. I needed to move faster or this would all be over before it began. My arms wrapped around his torso, my hands exploring his naked chest, stopping every so often to tweak and pull his tight nipples. He let out a long groan. "Please, Edward. More." Jacob wasn't coherent enough to tell me what he wanted exactly, but I knew.

Lightly grazing my teeth over the juncture where his neck met his shoulder, my hands ghosted over his abdomen before coming to a rest over his jean-covered bulge. I pressed my palm into his crotch - God, he was huge. He bucked his hips into my hand, effectively grinding his ass into my cock in the process. We both moaned loudly. Before he even realized what was happening, I raised his hips and slid off his cut-offs, turned him around and set him down on my lap face-to-face, straddling my hips.

 _Damn, how'd he do that?_ Jacob mused, staring at my lips with lust-laden eyes. Licking my lips, I looked down at my prize. He had the most glorious cock - tanned and smooth, devoid of any imperfection. He was uncut, but his foreskin had already retracted, the red, swollen head revealed to my hungry eyes, droplets of precum moistening the tip. The damp patch in my own pants began to spread as I gazed at him. _Why's he staring so hard? It's making me uncomfortable. Touch me already!_ Breaking out of my daze, I looked him in the eyes and whispered, "Jacob, you are the most beautiful creature." His cheeks flushed red, and he was about to look bashfully at the floor when I crashed my lips against his. He opened up for me, deepening the kiss.

As our tongues engaged in a battle that no one would win, my fingers closed around his throbbing length. I swallowed his moans of pleasure as I stroked him expertly. Soon, he was bucking wildly against my hand, in turn causing a great deal of friction to my own painfully hard cock. _Oh God, Jesus, so close!_

I stopped stroking him instantly, and in the blink of an eye, I had him on his back on the bed in the other room, my own clothes stripped off and tossed in a pile. Jacob's hungry eyes tracked me as I stalked toward him, onto the bed, and up the length of his body. When we were face to face, my lips claimed his again, and he wrapped his leg around my thigh, grinding our naked cocks together. I couldn't stop the cry of pleasure that slipped out at the contact. We rutted against each other, hands everywhere they could reach, our mouths devouring one another.

 _Oh god...I need him inside me._ An involuntary shudder ran through my body. I was more than ready to give him what he wanted. But I needed to be sure he wanted it too. I needed to hear him say it.

Wrapping my long fingers around his rock-hard length, I gave him a strong tug. He groaned from deep inside his chest. The feral sound made the fire in my belly spread, and I struggled not to just go ahead and impale him. Continuing my ministrations with my hand, I nuzzled my face into his neck and breathed huskily, "What do you want, Jacob?"

"You already know," he whimpered, his cheeks flushing in mild embarrassment. The rush of blood to his face only made me harder, and I ground my cock against his thigh.

I trailed open-mouthed kisses down his neck to his nipple, my tongue darting out to flick the raised nub. "I want to hear it."

He moaned wantonly, his body writhing beneath me as I continued kissing down his abs, my tongue tracing each protrusion of muscle. When I finally took him into my mouth, he howled as I swirled my wet muscle around his head, tasting the unique flavor of him. Not needing to breathe had its advantages, and I took his huge cock all the way into my throat, swallowing hard around him. He tensed below me, crying out, "Please, Edward!"

I released his cock and lifted my head a little to meet his hungry gaze. "Please what?"

He grunted in frustration, shutting his eyes tightly before letting the words tumble from his swollen lips. "Please! I need...I need you to fuck me."

"As you wish," I murmured, dipping my head back down to lap at his hole. He pushed back against my face with a surprised grunt. After sufficiently wetting his entrance, I swiftly licked my own fingers before taking one of his balls into my mouth. This distracted him enough to easily slide one finger inside without much resistance. His body and mind tensed at the intrusion, but once he was used to it, he rocked against my hand, silently begging for more. I lovingly prepared him, stretching him with two fingers, then three, until I was sure he could accommodate me. _Please...please...I'm ready..._

All of my nervousness was washed away in the heat of the moment. The weeks and weeks of built up sexual tension between us had come to a head, and my sole thought was to claim him and make him mine. My cock was aching with anticipation - I was more than ready to give him what he wanted. Reaching over to the nightstand, I flipped open the cap of the lube, the sharp sound causing him to startle. I coated myself quickly, drizzling some of the cool, wet substance over his waiting pucker.

When I pressed my blunt head against him, Jacob's body tensed. I sought to reassure him, whispering, "Relax. It might hurt a little at first, but I won't move until you tell me to." He nodded slowly, his mind willing his body to let me in. Slowly, I pushed forward, breaching the tight ring of muscle that sought to keep me out. He gripped my shoulders tightly, biting his lip to suppress his cry of pain. Thinking it better to get it over with, I entered him completely, fully seating myself deep inside of him.

Never in my wildest dreams had I expected him to be so tight - so searingly hot, his molten tunnel constricting around my over-sensitive cock. I was thankful that he needed time to adjust - if I were to move now, it would be over before it began. I concentrated on distracting us from our mutual, but entirely different, pain by murmuring in his ear how wonderful he felt, teasing his lobe with my tongue and teeth. My distraction, combined with the numbing effect my cool length had on his stretching hole, worked to get him back into the groove.

He moved his hips up to meet mine, and I took the invitation, starting out slowly as I found a rhythm that worked for us. I knew I'd found his hidden pleasure spot when his mind went white and he screamed in ecstasy. "Nghhh...do that again!" I happily complied, repeating the same angled thrust again and again. Jacob scratched his nails down my back, grabbing my ass to try to push me deeper inside. _Harder! Faster! So close..._

Between the fire of his vice-like channel wrapped around me and the moans falling from those sinful lips, I was nearing the edge. The coil in my belly tightened, but I needed him to be right there with me. Grabbing his hips, I lifted him off the bed and slammed his back against the headboard. I started a punishing rhythm, making sure to pound his spot with every thrust. He enveloped me tightly, his legs and arms wrapped around my body. Using one hand to hold him tight against my chest, I snaked the other hand down his abdomen to grasp his weeping cock.

"Mine... _Mine_... _ **MINE**_ ," I chanted stroking him brutally in time with my thrusts.

"YES! Edward, ahhh, I'm yours! All yours!" Jacob cried, throwing his head back for me to attack his neck.

It only took a few strokes before he exploded in thick ribbons between our bodies, screaming my name up to God. The strong pulse of his orgasm around my straining cock and the sound of my name on his lips pushed me over the edge and I was rocked by the strongest release of my long life. Jacob gasped as my chilly seed spread through his lower body and I collapsed against him, utterly spent. We held each other tightly, our chests heaving, trying to recover from the total bliss we'd just experienced.

Once we'd regained some semblance of our senses, I rolled off of him onto my back, my softened cock slipping from his loose tunnel. He whined at the loss. I pulled him to me so that his head rested in the crook of my arm, and trailed my fingers over the soft skin of his flank, revelling in the warmth he emitted. _He plays me like he plays the piano_. I smiled into his hair, continuing my light caresses. I couldn't have been more satisfied. I'd never felt this content in my long existence. This was right. I finally felt complete. Like I was home after wandering aimlessly for a century.

Glancing down at Jacob's face, I saw him staring intently at his dark, tanned arm hugged across my snow-white chest. His mind was focused on his arm, amusement tinging the edges of his blurred thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" I asked, my curiosity peaked.

He breathed a contented sigh. "I was just admiring the contrast." The beauty of us - darkness and light, hot and cold, yin and yang - was certainly a sight to behold.

I ran my hand through his hair and placed a soft kiss to the top of his head. "You know what Paula Abdul says..."

"He's a cold hearted snake?" He smirked, pinching my nipple and making me squirm.

"No silly," I chuckled. "Opposites attract." Jake tilted his face up to snuggle into my neck.

_Just like the dog that he is._

And just like that, my contented bubble was burst by that errant thought. I sat bolt upright and my head snapped toward the window. Jacob fell back against the bed, his mouth hanging open in shock at my sudden movement. "Edward?"

My jaw set in fury. A growl built deep in my chest as I launched myself out the window to confront the bitch. _Rosalie._


	13. Voyeurism

**Jacob POV**

I couldn't be more upset and confused. One minute, I'm in the icy embrace of my imprint, basking in the blissful knowledge that he finally accepted me as his mate and made me his. The next minute, he's furious and jumping out the window in a naked rage.

Needing to find out what was going on, I quickly climbed out of the rumpled bed and pulled on my cutoffs. Outside, I could hear the telltale sounds of a scuffle and Edward growling. Grabbing a pair of pants for Edward, I decided against jumping out the window like he had, and left through the front door, swiftly rounding the corner of the cottage.

What I saw filled me with a sense of dread. Edward was grappling with Rosalie, of all people. The only reason he would do that is...if she'd seen us. No...if she'd _watched_ us. An involuntary shudder coursed through me at the idea that Blondie had seen me naked and moaning, my ass getting pounded into oblivion - and me, loving every second of it. Shame washed over me, and my muscles tensed as anger built inside me. My abused rear clenched with the rest of my muscles, making a quiet groan escape my lips and my anger crumble a little - I was still pretty sore.

Edward looked even more furious than he had a moment ago, something I didn't think possible. He must have heard my horrified thoughts, which only increased his rage. Growling fiercely, he grabbed Rosalie by her luxurious blonde locks and threw her up against the trunk of a giant redwood tree.

"Edward, please! Hold on - it was an accident!" Rosalie begged as Edward held her arms pinned to the tree trunk.

Edward scoffed at her and yelled, "An accident? An accident is a glimpse and a guilty conscience. You caught your glimpse and stuck around for more. Enjoy the show?"

Rosalie stared at him with a stony expression. Whatever she was thinking made my mate snarl viciously, pressing his body against hers to make her feel trapped and vulnerable.

She scrunched her eyes shut and turned her face to the side. Through gritted teeth, she stammered, "Edward - you're naked!"

"It no longer matters, does it? Now that you've seen me at my most intimate moment!"

He grasped her upper arms and threw her to the ground, spitting a mouthful of venom on her. I stared in shock as Rosalie cowered. How far would my mate go to protect my honor? I was afraid for her, but proud at the same time, that Edward cared about me so much. Edward looked over at me, the anger dying down as his eyes met mine and he read my thoughts. He seemed to get a handle on himself and took a deep breath before turning back to her. "Get lost before I do something I'll regret."

He didn't have to say it twice. Rosalie was on her feet and running back to the main house faster than the speed of light. Edward hid his face in his hands and his shoulders sagged as his bravado deflated. I slowly walked over to him, seeking to comfort my new lover. When I was face to face with him, he looked up at me, golden eyes streaked with guilt, peering into my soul. I cupped his face in both hands, keeping my gaze locked on his.

"I'm so sorry, Jake," he whispered. "I should have heard her sooner..." He shook his head, blaming himself. "I don't know how I didn't hear her."

I leaned in to capture his lips in a soft, chaste kiss. "I guess you were too caught up..."

He cracked a smile before averting his gaze to the ground. "Now our perfect night is spoiled. Who knows how much she saw..."

Trailing a finger down to his chin, I lifted his face to look into his gorgeous eyes again. "No, it's not spoiled. It was the best night of my life. Now we'll just have to do it again, make an untarnished memory..."

His answering grin was radiant. "It would be my greatest pleasure." And then his lips captured mine in an all-consuming kiss, our tongues gliding together, stoking the fires of our passion once more. My hands tangled in the soft, wild hair at the base of his skull, trying to pull him ever closer. Roughly, he pulled my hips to his and ground his already throbbing cock against mine. A loud groan escaped my lips, and I sucked on his tongue, mirroring what I wanted to do to his weeping erection. He shuddered as he heard my thoughts and picked up the pace of his grinding hips, pushing me into a fever pitch.

I wanted him so bad. I wanted him to claim me again - now that he'd had me, I would never be able to get enough of him. Becoming one being with my beloved was a heavenly experience, and I desperately wanted to reach that pinnacle of pleasure again. But, there was trouble to be settled at the house, so we would have to wait.

I broke our embrace of tangled limbs and unceremoniously handed him his pants. He growled in frustration. I kissed his shoulder gently and told him, "As much as I'd love a repeat performance right now, we should probably go see if we can sort out the mess at the house first."

Frowning in disappointment, he gave a resigned nod and pulled his pants on. I watched in dismay as his glorious cock disappeared behind the zipper. _Later._

He beamed at me, my favorite crooked smile. He gave my shoulder a playful shove and started toward the house. "Race you..." He was gone in a flash, and I did my damnedest to catch him, following that perfect ass through the forest.

**Emmett POV**

I was caught up in the college football score review on ESPN when my wife burst through the door, looking panicked and disheveled. In an instant, I was by her side, pulling her shaking form into my strong embrace. Nothing ever rattled Rosalie. Yet here she was, her hair a mess of twigs and burrs, her clothes stained with grass and dirt.

"Rose, baby, it's okay. I'm here," I cooed, stroking her tangled locks as she dry sobbed into my shoulder. After a few minutes, her sobs quieted, and she hugged me tight to her. I had to know what happened, but she was such an intensely private, reserved personality - I only hoped she would tell me. "What happened, baby?" I asked, my tone pleading for information.

"E-Edward," she stammered. "He...he attacked me."

For several moments, I was stunned into silence. Shock and rage battled inside me. I struggled to beat down the urge to find the asshole who beat up on my wife - my protective side didn't care what may have provoked him. But my rational side gave me pause. I pulled back a little to look in her eyes. They were wild, but I could tell that what she was saying was true. But knowing Rosalie, and knowing Edward, I knew there had to be a good reason. Edward wasn't the violent type. And Rose could definitely be devious. But what could have happened to make him attack her?

"I believe you, Rose, but...why? That doesn't sound like Edward."

She chewed her lower lip for a long moment, as if she was debating whether or not to tell me. She decided to let me in, sighing in resignation. "I was taking a walk through the woods, and I found myself near Edward's cottage. I heard some strange sounds coming from inside. So I looked in the window, and I saw Edward and the dog... _together..._ " I just stared at her, waiting for her to continue. " _Sexually..._ "

I blanched at the thought. I mean, Edward could do whatever he wanted, but I didn't want to think about it. "So you left...right?" I asked, hoping that she had.

She shook her head slowly. "I couldn't. It was like a train wreck - I couldn't tear my eyes away. I saw the whole thing. I kept my mind closed, but I guess I must have slipped up, because he heard me. And, then..." She gestured meekly to her hair and ruined clothes.

As much as I wanted to be angry with Edward, I didn't have it in me. If someone had watched me making love to my wife, I'd be just as pissed. I'd definitely attack to defend my lady's honor - the same as Edward had.

Frustrated with my wife, my jaw set tightly. "I would never have expected you to do something like this, Rose," I said, my tone accusatory.

She looked at me, her mouth hanging open in shock. "Emmett, you're my mate. I've been attacked - you're supposed to fight for me!"

I sighed deeply and pulled her back to me in a tight embrace. "I know, babe, and I love you until the end of time, but if the same thing had happened to me, I don't think I would react differently than he did."

I caught the co-mingled scent of dog and Edward approaching the main house. Rosalie caught it too, and her body stiffened in my arms. They were coming fast, no doubt looking for some explanation, and I knew it was my duty as Rose's husband to protect her from their wrath. It was definitely time to face the music. But how could I defend my wife when she was so clearly wrong?


	14. The Impostor

**Josephine POV**

I was just returning to the Cullen estate, when I heard voices coming from the small cottage I was passing. I had just come from a final meeting with the other Guard members - tonight we would put the plan to kidnap the mind-reader into action. Being disguised as the blond beauty made it so easy. Not only was it clear that she was regarded as the most likely Cullen to be contrary towards the rest, Edward was apparently her favorite antagonist. It would be quite simple - just try to convince the others that the dog is bad news for them, and perhaps call to have him banished from the territory. Somehow, I had to create a situation that would cause them to leave the house together - alone - in an agitated state, so my cohorts could execute the rest of the plan as smoothly as possible (a difficult task when dealing with someone who can hear your thoughts).

Slowly, I crept toward the window of the cottage to investigate the noises. I took great care to block my thoughts before peeking inside. I was unprepared for the scene that laid before me. I fought against the lurching in my stomach as I watched Aro's future acquisition fornicating with that disgusting canine. As much as it reviled me, I couldn't look away. In all my years of existence, I had never seen two males copulate. If I could forget that one of the parties was a dog, I could see myself enjoying this performance. But the overpowering wet dog smell killed any kind of enjoyment I may have gotten from this voyeuristic venture.

They were finished not long after my arrival, and they basked in their afterglow, wrapped in each other's arms. It would have been sweet if it wasn't so sickening. They were talking quietly now, something about Paula Abdul, when the mutt nuzzled the vampire's neck - just like the dog he is.

Quite suddenly, Edward bolted upright and his head snapped in my direction, his eyes black with fury. My cover blown, I knew I had to get the hell out of there fast before he killed me. I turned to run, but he was on me before I could take more than a few steps. Abruptly, I felt myself being hurled into the trees, then onto the ground. I was being thrown again and again - too fast for me to really register what was going on - certainly too fast to gather myself enough to fight back. Perhaps his goal was to disorient me - if so, he was succeeding. And then Edward was growling ferociously, grabbing me by the hair and pressing my back against a thick tree trunk.

His hands were locked around my biceps, pressing me roughly into the tree. I did my best to plead with him. "Edward, please! Hold on - it was an accident!"

His eyes darkened as he scoffed at me. "An accident?" he yelled. "An accident is a glimpse and a guilty conscience. You caught your glimpse and stuck around for more. Enjoy the show?"

All I could do was stare into those black, angry orbs. I didn't know what to say to make him let go of me. He snarled at my lack of response and pressed his body against mine. I felt trapped and more than a little vulnerable. His naked crotch pushed into my abdomen. Disgusted, I scrunched my eyes shut and turned my face to the side. I gritted my teeth and forced the words to leave my lips, "Edward - you're naked!"

"It no longer matters, does it? Now that you've seen me at my most intimate moment!" He threw me to the ground then, and spat a mouthful of venom on me. I kept my eyes shut, and cowered, doing my best to appear submissive so he would leave me alone. Several long moments passed before he spoke again. This time, his tone was less menacing, but the threat was still there. "Get lost before I do something I'll regret."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I ran for the house, not daring to look back. Frightening though that encounter was, it was the perfect fodder to implement my Plan A. I could smell Rosalie's oaf of a mate in the living room as I approached the main house. Putting on my best damsel in distress face, I entered the house and stared over at Emmett. He was by my side in an instant, worrying over me and asking if I was alright. I told him what happened - that our brother had attacked me. That should have been enough to bring out his baser mating instinct of protection, and I was taken aback when he gave pause, and asked me _why_ Edward attacked, stating that it wasn't like him to be violent.

Deciding it would be better to tell the truth, as, surely, the pair in question would tell everyone later anyway, I told Emmett what I'd seen. Instead of siding with his wife, the idiot actually defended his animal of a brother, and even went so far as to say he was disappointed in my actions. Plan A - convincing my "mate" to fight my attackers - had failed. At least Emmett was feeling conflicted about the situation, but that wasn't enough to follow through with the original plan. Time to implement Plan B - agitate the happy couple enough to force them to run away and enter the forest and directly into the trap.

We caught their scent as they approached the house, and I steeled myself for the confrontation to come. Edward and Jacob entered through the front door, thankfully clad in pants by this time, anger and frustration adorning their features. Jasper and Alice appeared on the landing of the staircase, Jasper no doubt sensing the tension building in the house. Esme stood in the doorway of the kitchen, curious as to what was going on. I felt a burst of calm wash over me then. Fucking empaths, always messing with your emotions. Edward glared at my thought, and I responded by tilting my chin defiantly toward him. He stiffened and grasped his lover's bicep in an attempt to restrain himself from pouncing on me.

Edward closed his eyes in an effort to control himself. Slowly, he reopened them and took a deep breath before training his accusatory gaze on me. "Why would you do that, Rosalie? I really couldn't imagine a greater invasion of my privacy. I know you dislike me, but I thought you at least respected me."

I scoffed at that, and spat out, "Trust me, in no way did I want to see that sickening display. I was so horrified that I couldn't look away. There is no chance that I could ever respect you after you had relations with that nasty little cur."

Jacob looked appropriately offended by my comment. Emmett was also taken aback, placing his hand on my shoulder and murmuring my name - warning me to stop inciting the situation. Edward's hands were fisted at his sides, and I could sense the gears turning in his mind as he searched for his next words. But I wasn't about to let him speak.

Laughing venomously, I continued to make things worse. "Edward, you've always been just half of a man - stuck in the body of a teenager with the emotional state to match. Honestly, I'm not surprised by your choice of mate. Who else would have you besides that vile creature? He doesn't even really want you - he doesn't have a choice!"

"Rosalie!" Emmett shouted, aghast at my vitriol. Jacob gaped in shock. Edward was still enraged, but I could see in his eyes that he was more hurt than angry. This was going just as I'd hoped. If I could just hurt him enough to make him run from his problems, as was his usual response, it would be perfect. It was now or never.

I searched deep within myself for the cruelest statement I could come up with on short notice and screamed, "You're a sorry excuse for a vampire, Edward, lying with the enemy! Why don't you just take your filthy mutt and leave us - you're a disgrace to the Cullen family name!"

Edward's face fell and his shoulders slumped under the weight of my insults. Jacob, as I had hoped, jumped to his mate's defense, rushing toward me, his body shaking violently. His hands connected with my shoulders, shoving me off balance and I smashed into the coffee table, splintering it into a million little splinters of wood. Emmett, ashamed of me as he was, could not help but protect his own mate, and he tossed Jacob into the bookcase across the room as though he weighed no more than a feather. The crash of his body against the structure resonated through the house. Edward rushed to his dazed mate's side. Jacob lay in a crumpled heap in a pile of books on the floor. Jacob rasped, "I'm alright, baby."

That was enough for Edward, and in a flash, he had skirted around Emmett and connected his fist with my left temple. I fell to the floor from the force of the blow. My skin had suffered under his fist, and I could feel the cracks begin to slowly spread underneath my hairline. It wouldn't be long before those cracks widened, and my true identity would be revealed. Edward loomed over me, as Emmett knelt beside me, cradling my head in his lap.

"Baby, are you okay?" Emmett asked, a tinge of fear in his voice. I insisted I was fine. Satisfied for now, Emmett rose and stalked toward Edward, backing him into a corner. Standing face to face with nowhere for Edward to turn, Emmett spoke in a fierce whisper, "I don't care how wrong it was for Rose to do what she did, but you will not attack my wife. I won't stand for it." Emmett bared his teeth and moved in fast to bite Edward's neck, but he must have heard Emmett's intention, and he ducked out of the way in the nick of time. Jacob had recovered himself, and he shoved Emmett back towards me, catching him unaware and causing him to stumble and fall on his rear. The floor cracked beneath Emmett's weight, and a threatening growl ripped out of his chest. Jacob began to shake once more, but this time, he could not control his phase, and he burst into his wolf form, pants shredding to bits, claws ultimately destroying the loveseat next to him. He bared his teeth at Emmett and myself and stalked forward, saliva frothing out of his muzzle.

Thankfully, the patriarch arrived home from work in time to intervene. "ENOUGH!" he bellowed, his voice reverberating through the room. Even I knew that Carlisle never yelled, and everyone froze, their attention firmly on their coven leader. He took a deep, steadying breath before turning to face Edward and Jacob. When he spoke, his tone was eerily calm. "I will be told the meaning of all this, but for now, boys, you had better go cool off." He glanced at me, lying on the floor, my head once again cradled in Emmett's lap. Returning his attention to the boys, he said sternly, "We _will_ discuss this later."

The vampire and the wolf wasted no time in getting out of there, but not before each shooting me a withering glare. As I watched Carlisle approach me, I could feel the spiderweb cracks near my temple begin to spread further across my face. The disguise would be lost momentarily. I only hoped the Cullens would be confused enough to allow my cohorts time to finish what we started.

Barely ten seconds had passed. Everyone was so dumbfounded by what they'd seen, they hadn't looked closely at me yet. Not even Emmett, because although my head rested in his lap, his gaze was still locked on where the boys had just stood. It was Carlisle who noticed first, stopping in mid-step, his mouth gaping open at the sight of me. He was so aghast, I could assume that the facade had mostly crumbled by now. Emmett followed Carlisle's gaze of shock, and gasped as he took in my face. Carlisle was kneeling by my side in an instant, eyes boring into mine.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?"


	15. The Trap

**Edward POV**

Following the confrontation at the house, my mind was racing almost as fast as my legs were carrying me. I couldn't even focus on Jacob's thoughts, let alone any of the others, so consumed was I by my own anger and despair. We hadn't run too far when Jake began to slow. The cool night air was thick with fog, and it was making it difficult for Jacob to breathe. We were far enough away that I could not hear my family anymore, but we were still within the furthest reaches of Cullen territory. That thought only reminded me of Rosalie's parting words...

_You're a disgrace to the Cullen family name!_

The recollection made me shudder, but my resolve was firm. If they couldn't accept Jacob and I, I didn't want to go back. I'm still the same person I always was - why should they care who I laid with? Carlisle wanted to discuss everything that had happened after he could diffuse the situation at home with Rose. But there would be no discussion. I was never going back. Jacob and I would go off on our own - maybe Portland - or New Hampshire - or back to Chicago. Anywhere but here. It would be painful to leave my family - they were all that I knew. But I also didn't want to live in a house of discrimination - even if it was just Rosalie. Jacob was enough for me - he had to be.

My wolf had slowed to a halt, sitting back on tired haunches, catching his ragged breath. He'd certainly pushed his limits to get away from there, as had I. The difference was, I couldn't get exhausted. His thoughts were focused on rising above the burn in his overworked muscles.

I sank to my knees beside him, struggling to keep my face straight. I was desperate not to let my distress show in my features - I had to stay strong for him, to show him that I could take care of him. For once, I was grateful that I no longer had the capacity to cry. I threaded my long fingers through the coarse fur on his neck, giving him a good scratch. His leg kicked involuntarily and he let out a huff of pleasure.

"I'm so sorry, Jake," I whispered, unable to mask the crack in my voice. Jacob cocked his head to the side in concern. _What do you have to be sorry for?_ I sighed. "That whole scene back there. I can't believe Rosalie would stoop so low and say such things. I'm sorry that she hurt you."

Jacob licked my hand affectionately before phasing back to his human form. He pulled on his cutoffs more quickly than I would have liked. I sighed in resignation as his beautiful cock disappeared behind denim fabric. My wolf knelt before me, cupping my face in his warm hands, gently forcing me to meet his gaze. His eyes were full of love. "Edward, the only one that can hurt me is you."

Our lips met in an all-consuming kiss, and all of my worries melted away. We would be just fine, as long as we had each other. Breaking the kiss, I trailed my lips across his jawline, stopping to lick at the shell of his ear. Shivering with a jolt of arousal, he whispered, "What are we going to do?" His shoulders tensed minutely as his thoughts continued that which he could not voice. _You'd better not leave me because you think you're a liability for me. It didn't work when you tried that with Bella, and it won't work with me._

A chuckle escaped me, but I sought to reassure him. "I learned my lesson back then. I'll never leave you, Jake. You are everything to me." His shoulders relaxed and he leaned into me, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I wrapped him tightly in my arms, holding him as closely as I could without crushing his bones. "I'm never going to let go. We'll start a new life - go somewhere nobody knows us and just be happy."

He pressed his lips to the skin of my cool neck, sending a shiver down my spine. "Maybe we can go to Massachusetts. I heard they're very accepting of same-sex marriage."

Before I could form a reply, the wind shifted. Carried on the breeze, the scent of Rosalie filled my nose. My mind immediately searched for her thoughts. I could hear the tone of her mind, but her thoughts were too murky to make out. No surprise there - she knew quite well how to block my ability. All of my feelings of contentment were swiftly replaced by rage. How dare she follow us out here after what she did? I got to my feet in a flash, dragging Jake up with me. In his shock, his thoughts were jumbled, but I knew what he wanted to know.

"Rosalie's here," I hissed. He gasped in surprise. Rushing towards the traitorous bitch's scent, Jacob hot on my heels, I shouted, "God help me, Rose, if you've come out here to incite us further..." Before I could say anything more, there she was - standing right in front of me amid the tall redwoods.

She stood stock-still, frozen as a statue. Her hands were bound behind her back with a bit of rope. I immediately knew something more was at play here if a measly rope could keep her from moving, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what that could be. Her face wore a grim expression, and her hair was a wind-swept mess - as if she hadn't touched it in weeks. Her dress was filthy and ants were climbing on her legs. Her eyes were open, but she stared blankly ahead - unseeing. I moved to stand directly before her and waved a hand in front of her face, speaking her name. She remained as she was - no outward sign that she knew I was there. But her mind became clearer once she heard me speak. Her mind screamed in a panic - _Who's there? Please! Just leave me alone!_

"Edward, what's happened to her?" Jacob had realized, as I had, that Rosalie was under the influence of some greater power.

I shook my head. "I don't know...I don't know..." We both hurried to release her hands from the bindings. "Rose, it's okay. It's Edward - I'm here to help you."

_Edward? Edward, no! Run! RUN!_

I stared at her immobile form, trying to make sense of what her mind was screaming at me. Run? Run where? What for?

My confusion was compounded by whispers of thought that began to seep into my head. I didn't get a chance to react to the Italian murmurs before the owners of those thoughts were upon us.

Out of the thick trees and fog stepped three figures that I knew all too well. Felix, Chelsea and Alec stood before us, each wearing a smirk on their perfectly gorgeous faces.

"Dear Edward, how nice to see you."


	16. Abduction

**Jacob POV**

Out of the fog stepped three people - no, vampires. I could smell them a mile away. So, why hadn't I noticed them before they were right on top of us. I was becoming way too stressed out and distracted.

There was a boy who couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen - he reminded me of a cherub, like Cupid. There was also a big brute of a man - more strapping than even Emmett, if that were possible. Remind me not to mess with him. With them was quite possibly the most stunning woman I'd ever laid eyes on - she was even more beautiful than Rosalie...but then, maybe I just didn't like Rosalie. Yeah, Rosalie eclipsed her, but only by a small margin.

They were all exceptionally beautiful, just like the Cullens, but the color of their eyes indicated their obvious difference. The sight of those demonic blood-red eyes marring their otherwise gorgeous faces sent an involuntary shiver of disquiet down my spine. The brute glared menacingly and the boy smirked smugly, but the woman broke into a stunning smile.

"Dear Edward, how nice to see you."

I noticed Edward stiffen, but he responded politely. "Chelsea."

"It amuses me that we might have taken one such as you by surprise."

Edward snorted and rolled his eyes, but I caught a flicker of something, maybe shame? His eyes flickered toward me briefly, but he pretended I hadn't guessed. Chelsea fixed her eyes on me and looked me up and down, slowly, languidly. Way to make me feel like a piece of meat.

"And who is this charming young man?" Her voice tinkled like a bell. "He's quite lovely - too bad he smells so awful." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. I rolled my eyes. Like I haven't heard that a million times. Chelsea fixed her gaze on me and smiled sweetly - her eyes bored into mine like she was trying to see into my soul. An annoying tugging sensation began pulling at my chest as she stared. Instinctively, I brushed at my chest with my hands, as if to push the feeling away.

"It won't work, Chelsea," Edward said solemnly. "He's mated to me."

The tugging sensation immediately disappeared. I let out a sigh of relief.

Chelsea's smile faltered for a brief moment before she recovered herself. "How very sweet." She turned her gaze toward Edward. "No wonder you smell terrible too. Congratulations to you both."

Edward's jaw twitched and he nodded in thanks, but he was done being polite. "Now, let's not ignore the fact that my sister is standing there, frozen solid, thanks to you - " Edward shot a withering glare at the little boy, who beamed a toothy grin back at him. "Why have you done this to her?"

Chelsea was the one who answered him as the boy and the brute looked on silently. I was beginning to wonder if their vocal cords worked.

"Aro wants you, Edward. He's always wanted you - to serve him."

Aro? Who the fuck is Aro?

"He figured, now that your mate is dead, you would be more willing to join us."

Edward scoffed, indignant. "He was the one that killed my mate."

Chelsea took on a placating tone. "Oh, come now, Edward. It had to be done. She broke the law." Edward stiffened and his eyes narrowed, but he did not reply. Chelsea continued, "Aro thought he would play it safe and send someone to help break any residual familial bonds you might have hung on to."

Edward stared at her wide-eyed now, his body growing more tense. "That's also why he sent me - for backup. He thought it might be hard to break your bond with Carlisle. But now, I see why our shifter, Josephine, was taking so long - you've found a new lover." She gestured to me, and I felt my cheeks redden at the term she used.

When Edward responded, his voice was tight. "Well, you can tell Aro that I've refused. I have a new mate, and I am perfectly happy to stay right where I am."

Chelsea looked back at the brute and nodded at him. "Felix?"

The brute stalked towards Edward then, his voice cold and unfeeling. "I don't think it's up for discussion, my young friend. What Aro wants, Aro gets."

I saw a flash of fear in Edward's eyes before he buried it under indignation. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

Edward turned to run, but Felix grabbed hold of his arm before he could dodge his move. Edward winced in pain as Felix twisted his arm back, pulling Edward against his body, effectively pinning my mate's back to his chest. My wolf raged inside me, and he broke free of my human form. How dare he handle my imprint that way! I shook with rage, snarling at the vampire holding my beloved captive, my tail flicking back and forth, my paws scratching the earth in a show of aggression. The three vampires stared at me in shock. Edward wilted in Felix's arms as a predatory grin spread across the brute's face.

"Caius would like to meet you, wolf," Felix hissed.

Edward struggled against Felix's iron grip, suddenly in a panic. "No! Please listen, it's not what you think! He's not one of them - he's just a shape shifter. It's only a coincidence that he happens to take the form of a wolf. He's NOT a Child of the Moon." I was beginning to feel afraid - I was totally lost in this - everything was going over my head, but it was obvious that I was in some kind of danger with this Caius person.

Felix turned Edward to face him, gripping his biceps tightly in his large, strong hands and wrenching his body around, making Edward wince as iron fingers dug into marble flesh. A warning growl escaped me, but I didn't dare attack - I might injure my imprint if I pounced without a clear shot. Unfortunately, I think Felix knew that.

"How can we know you're telling the truth?" Felix hissed.

Edward stopped struggling and allowed his body to go limp in Felix's arms. He bowed his head in a show of submission. "Aro will know."

Edward turned his head to look at me then, his eyes sorrowful. I was certain they would be brimming with tears if he were able. He seemed to be apologizing to me with his gaze - and I knew then - he was going to go with them.

I let out a pathetic whine. _No, Edward, you can't go with them! You promised not to leave me!_ I began to pace back and forth - hackles raised on end, my nerves completely shot.

Edward was resigned. "I have to, Jake," he whispered. "If I refuse, they'll kill you."

I couldn't take it anymore - I didn't care if I died right then, I would die anyway if they took him from me. I just can't stand by and allow this to happen.

_Let them kill me - I won't let them take you from me!_

I bounded forward before Edward could say anything to try to stop me. I felt my paws leave the ground, but suddenly, jarringly, the world went blank. It was as though all awareness was robbed from me. I could hear nothing, see nothing. I was lost in a fog with no concept of place or time.

I don't know how long I was like that. It could have been minutes, hours, days. When I came to, they were all still there, and I was laying in a heap by Rosalie's frozen feet. Edward was writhing and whimpering in Felix's grip. Chelsea was holding a detached arm - Edward's arm. Clear venom flowed freely from my mate's gaping shoulder. Frozen in horror, I could only howl in torment.

And then, the boy spoke, "Should we bring him too?"

Edward's struggling renewed, frantic now. "NO! PLEASE JAKE, RUN!" he cried.

My wolf immediately obeyed his imprint's order, and I felt my body turn and race back to the mansion. My human mind cursed the power of the imprint for forcing me to leave my love, terribly injured, to an unknown fate. But there was no going back. I had to do what my imprint wanted of me, and Edward wanted me to run away. I felt like a coward. All I could do now was hope that Carlisle could help me.

A few minutes later, I felt Rosalie running up behind me. When she reached my side, we shared a glance of solidarity as we raced back to the others with one purpose -

_Get Edward Back._


	17. Decisions

**Jacob POV**

Rosalie filled me in about the Volturi as we raced back to the estate. They lived in Volterra, an ancient city outside Florence, and they all fed on humans. She told me how three vampire fossils ruled over the rest of the undead community with the help of several frighteningly gifted Guards. The most compelling one - Aro - had the power to see every thought you've ever had, but he had to be touching you to make it work. That was why he wanted Edward. Edward's mind-reading complemented his own, and together they would be, for all intents and purposes, omniscient.

As Blondie and I approached the Cullen home, Emmett burst through the front door. He hurled himself at his mate, scooping her up in his arms and swinging her around in a circle.

"My god, Rose. I'm such a fool. I believed she was you!"

Rosalie cupped his face in her hands. "I know, baby. It's ok."

I looked away as she drew him in for a kiss. Ducking behind a bush, I phased and pulled my pants on. Then, I ran inside to find Carlisle. I didn't have to look too far - he was still in the demolished living room, along with everyone else, including the shifter.

"Carlisle! Edward's been kidnapped!"

The doctor nodded. "I know, Jacob." His eyes flashed to the shifter. "Josephine has been kind enough to fill us in," he said, his voice revealing his sarcasm. "She said if we went after him now, Alec and Felix have strict orders to incapacitate and destroy us all." I sucked in a breath and sank down to sit on the couch. "Now, we must figure out a plan to get our son and brother back."

 _And mate_ , I added silently.

Rosalie was seriously pissed. Her fists were balled tightly at her sides, and she was shaking slightly in her rage. "I cannot believe your gall, you bitch. I ought to tear your hair out!"

She made a move for Josephine, who flinched backwards, but Carlisle stepped between them, his hands raised in conciliation. "Now, now," he said to Rosalie, gently. "She's agreed to help us get Edward back."

"And you believe her?" Rosalie fumed.

"I have to."

I fidgeted in my seat on the couch as Carlisle explained how Josephine had been found out, and Rosalie explained what had happened to her in the woods. I probably should have been listening, but all I could think of was Edward - his gaping shoulder wound, him begging me to run away. What were we going to do? We had to save him!

A wave of calm suddenly washed over me. Glancing over at Jasper, I smiled wanly in thanks. As much as I hated that he was manipulating me, it was useful right now. I was starting to feel out of control.

Everyone had grown quiet and were staring at the shifter who had posed as their own, waiting for her to speak. Wondering what I'd missed, I leaned forward so I wouldn't miss anything further.

Josephine appeared very cool and collected. Strange, seeing as she'd just been caught masquerading as one of their own _and_ caused the kidnap of another family member. When she spoke, her voice was even. "I do know where they have taken him. It's a remote location near the main castle - a place where they can break him down and no one will hear his screams."

My skin crawled as my body shook with anger. It took all of my effort to control my phase. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I demanded, leaping to my feet. "We're wasting time!"

Carlisle's face grew solemn, his eyebrows knitting together. Avoiding my gaze, his tone was apologetic, but unwavering.

"I'm sorry, Jacob, but you can't come with us."

Too shocked to respond properly, I just stared at him, my mouth hanging open. He tried to explain. "It would only be detrimental to the rescue mission if you came along. I know you want to help, but it would be more helpful for you to stay behind. We can't be worried about protecting you while we're trying to save Edward - the rescue mission will require our undivided attention."

I puffed my chest out in defiance at the idea that I would be a hinderance. "Excuse me, but I don't need protection," I spat. "In case you've forgotten, my whole purpose is to kill vampires like you."

Josephine scoffed at me. "Well, pup, if you go to Volterra, you will be killed without question. One of the leaders, Caius hates all things canine. Ever since a werewolf nearly killed him. He led a mission to eradicate them - and he succeeded. He even orders stray dogs to be killed if they wander to close to the castle. You don't stand a chance."

"I can take care of myself," I insisted.

Carlisle sighed heavily. "Maybe so, but Josephine is right. Caius will be intent on having you destroyed. And with Aro's power, they no doubt know everything about you and your relationship with Edward. Caius' hatred towards wolves and Aro's desire to keep Edward are more than enough reason for them to kill you."

Alice piped in. "Besides, I can't see around you. That's why this happened in the first place."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Oh, so now _I'm_ to blame?"

Alice quirked an eyebrow. "Well, yes, essentially. You wouldn't want us to fail because I couldn't see all possible outcomes, would you?"

There was no way I could respond to that. Of course I didn't want them to fail - all I wanted was for Edward to come home safe to me. If that meant I had to stay behind, I guess I didn't have much of a choice. My shoulders sagged in defeat. A cold arm circled my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug. "I'm sorry, Jake," Rosalie whispered in my ear. "I'll take out a few for you."

Carlisle clapped me on the shoulder. "Josephine will lead us to where they're hiding Edward. We'll be back before you know it. Now, why don't you go back to the reservation. I'm sure the pack misses you."

"Sure, sure," I mumbled, and I turned on my heel, leaving the coven of vampires to their business. As soon as I was outside, I phased and rushed off into the woods, making my way home.

As I ran, I couldn't help but wonder how long it would take to get the necessary information out of Josephine. I mean, why should she cooperate with them? If she didn't help them, they might kill her. But if she did help them, that Aro guy would definitely kill her. She had no motivation to tell the truth. I had a sinking feeling that she would just lead them on a wild goose chase. Why couldn't they see that? What if they took to long to find him? He'd already lost an arm - what was next? A leg? Worse? What if they _never_ found him? I couldn't just stand by and let more harm come to my imprint.

It was all up to me. They weren't expecting me to do anything, and Alice couldn't see me, so they'd never know if I went to Volterra on my own. But time was short - I had to do something fast. How would I get to Italy anyway? I didn't have that kind of money. I did, however, have a passport. Thank god my sister got married in Mexico. I pumped my four legs as fast as they could take me, and soon, I found myself in the yard of my father's house. The lights were off - he wasn't here. I breathed a sigh of relief as I phased back and ran inside. Thank goodness for small favors.

I hastily gathered a few changes of clothes in a backpack, along with my passport from my desk drawer. Heading into the kitchen to grab some snacks for the road, I spied my father's wallet lying on the counter. He must be at Sue's house or something - he always takes his wallet with him unless he stays relatively close to home.

I stared at the wallet for a long moment. As if my arm had a mind of it's own, it reached out, opened the worn leather, and slipped the credit card out of the sleeve. My mind chastised my traitorous arm as the card found a new home in my back pocket. I guess I was all-in now - there was no way my father would ever forgive me for this.

I shook my head to clear the guilt away. I needed to get to Edward. If my father truly understood imprinting, he would have gladly given me his credit card and his blessing. Too bad he didn't. But I couldn't let it worry me - I had to get moving before my father came home.

Grabbing my car keys, I rushed to the Rabbit, gunned the motor, and sped off towards Sea-Tac airport. Trying to steady my increasingly distressed mind, I turned the radio on. It was one of my favorite Tom Petty songs. I turned up the volume and sang along, loudly and totally off-key - losing myself in the song that seemed to relate a little too well to my current situation:

_Into the great wide open_

_Under them skies of blue_

_Out in the great wide open_

_A rebel without a clue_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Into the Great Wide Open" is a song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers


	18. Volterra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter alludes to non-consensual sex. If this is a trigger for you, skip the last five paragraphs of Edward's POV.

**Aro POV**

Finally, the boy I longed for was here. The one who would help me achieve ultimate power over all others of our kind. Together, we would reign supreme - we would know all. But he was resistant.

He stood before me in the great hall, grasping his arm tightly in place to aid it's fusion. Despite his physical pain, the boy exuded a kind of adolescent bravado. This false confidence of his would only get him into trouble. It was a shame he never had the chance to grow out of that before his human death. His freakishly golden eyes were now black pools of hunger, but he ignored this base need in favor of a quiet display of defiance.

When I extended the invitation for him to join us, he had flat out refused. Enraged, I struggled to keep a cool facade in front of our attentive audience. But the boy knew how angry I was. He knew everything. That was why I wanted him - needed him. The fledgling's lips twitched at that, like he was holding in amusement. It would be difficult to get used to his talent. In the meantime, he would have to be broken of this insolence. He stiffened for a split second, but I caught the action. Beneath the calm exterior, I was making him nervous.

Mentally, I asked him why he refused to join us so adamantly. His black eyes bored into mine. His smooth voice was grave.

"You killed my mate."

Unbidden, an image of myself - slaying my sister Didyme in the gardens - dashed through my mind's eye. I hurried to bury it, but my mind reader hadn't missed it. His eyes flashed, his only outward sign of acknowledgement. For a moment, I was frightened of what he could do with this information - until I remembered that I could know his every thought with the touch of a hand.

He stiffened as I approached him, aware of my intention. Under the unnecessary guise of helping him hold his arm in place, the boy reluctantly allowed me to touch him. He closed his eyes as he listened to me react to the memories that flooded from his mind to mine.

A tan-skinned Native boy dominated his thoughts - this must be the new mate Chelsea had warned me about. This threw a kink in my plans for an easy acquisition. It wasn't difficult to break the ties one felt toward a coven, but it was near impossible to break the bonds of a mate, as I had learned with Marcus and Didyme. And then, I was suddenly awash with the image of this Native boy morphing into a wolf.

The scene of his memory took place in daylight, so the Native could not be a true werewolf. Caius would not care - he would jump at the chance to kill another wolf, Child of the Moon or not. If Caius were running the show, this union would be punishable by death.

But Caius wasn't the one with the ultimate power - I was. And I knew that if this boy loved his mate, it would not be long before the wolf would present himself to us of his own accord. I was confident this boy would give his life for Edward - and I would make him prove it. He would be disposed of swiftly, Caius would be appeased, and Edward would be mine. But before he could truly serve me as blindly as the others did, his spirit had to be broken.

Releasing the boy's arm, I motioned to Felix and Santiago.

"Take him to the dungeon."

**Edward POV**

I wasn't sure how long I'd been in this dark, dank cell made of heavy, thick stone with bars of titanium. It reeked of old rot and mildew. It was a small space, with nothing inside to sit down on - not that sitting was necessary for a vampire, but it would have been a small comfort. There were no comforts to be had in here, save for the fact that this cell was so recessed within the castle that I was able to have a reprieve from the thoughts of others - a welcome relief I was sure they hadn't intended to give me.

We had arrived swiftly on Heidi's private jetliner, and no time was wasted in starting to break me down. Of course, I knew what I was walking into as we travelled to the ancient city - after all, I had faced the triad once before when I had asked them to kill me, the first time I thought Bella was dead. They refused then, and they certainly wouldn't kill me now. Aro coveted my talent too much. He craved for me to stand beside him and complement his ability. He had a vivid vision of the two of us as all-knowing tyrants ruling over the entirety of vampirekind. I wondered briefly why he didn't seem to want Alice anymore - until Aro thought about it in my presence. Apparently, her gift proved to be too fallible.

I was glad Alice got pardoned from this experience. The triad was fond of using torture to get what they wanted. Well, to be fair, Marcus didn't torture anybody. He barely moved or spoke - he hardly even thought about anything besides his deceased wife. Aro had made the mistake of recalling his involvement in her death in my presence. I could reveal this damning information to Marcus, but I couldn't be sure he would believe me. The fact that I was a mind reader meant nothing - I could have easily made it up to save myself. I knew what was good for me - I wasn't going to say anything...yet.

Aro and Caius, however, would stop at nothing to get me to bend to their will. Their methods of doing so differed greatly. Vampires aren't affected by whips or chains or water boarding. They could be dismembered, as Felix had given me a taste of, and it had been painful. My hand instinctively caressed my still smarting shoulder. But the Volturi didn't need to use bodily harm. What they did best was to strike at a vampire's greatest weaknesses - his basest desires - hunger and lust. Far greater suffering could be extricated that way.

Aro was appealing to my thirst. I cursed myself for becoming so absorbed with spending time with Jacob that I continually pushed back my hunts. I should have gone hunting while he slept, but I hadn't wanted to leave the comfort of his warm sleeping body wrapped around mine. As a result, I'd gone too long between feedings before my abduction, and I was starving now. I had seen images of my face in their minds - the bruises beneath my eyes were a deep purple shade, my black pupils were so dilated that the whites of my eyes were barely visible, and my pale skin was turning sallow. Not to mention the terrible, consuming fire scorching my throat.

Aro came down to my cell at various intervals to offer me a meal. But he never brought a deer, or a bobcat - or even a rabbit. He always brought a human. The first few times they had still been alive, and when I refused his offer, I had to listen to their terrified thoughts and screams as Aro would feed on them himself, in front of me. After the third time this happened, Aro touched me and he immediately understood my revulsion at hearing their dying pleas for help. So, he started snapping their necks just before entering the cell.

I hate to admit that his persistance was working. I didn't want to give in, but the burn in my throat was excrutiating, almost as bad as the change itself. I knew that, just inches away, the warm liquid inside the freshly killed human would take the pain away completely, and leave me oh-so-satisfied. Still, I found the will to resist, always trying to center myself by thinking of Jacob. But my thirst had nearly reached the pinnacle of severity - soon, the beast would break free and I would no longer have control over my actions.

Aro's thoughts told me that he intended to keep Jacob's true nature a secret from his brethren. He was going to let Jacob reveal himself on his own, should he attempt to rescue me. I desperately clung to the hope that Jacob wouldn't find me. I could bear this suffering inflicted by both Caius and Aro, but I couldn't imagine what they would put Jacob through - if they even let him live. The thought of his death caused a deep ache in my long-dead heart. Should he be killed, I was certain I'd become a shell of a man, just like Marcus.

My lamentations were interrupted by a swirl of depraved thoughts bombarding my consciousness. I pulled myself together quickly, trying to appear compliant. Caius let himself into my dank cell, his cruel features twisted into a lecherous expression. Internally, I cringed as he crept closer. It had only been a few hours since his last visit, but he wanted more.

Caius aimed to cause suffering by using lust. Not by manipulating my own lust - by inflicting _his_ lust upon me. He was determined to bend me to his will, quite literally. He was attracted by my outward show of confidence, and he took great pleasure in trying to break me of it.

In his previous assaults, I refused to allow him any satisfaction. I fought each encounter tooth and nail, but it only encouraged him. He was rough with me, and despite my attempts at bravery, these incidents always ended with the intense pain of unprepared entrance, me on my hands and knees, pitifully whimpering for him to stop. I was ashamed at myself for showing such weakness to him.

This time, I vowed not to give him the satisfaction of either fighting for dominance or my cries of pain. I'd pretend not to be affected by any of it. It was my last resort to make him lose interest in violating me. I had to let him think he'd won.

He bared his teeth in a salacious grin before shoving me face-first against the cold stone wall, tearing my clothes from me in the process. As I felt his hardness press against my rear, seeking to penetrate, I gritted my teeth and shut my eyes, determined not to make a sound.


	19. The Opportunity

**Jacob POV**

As I took my seat on the huge transatlantic airplane, my blood was pumping with adrenaline. I'd already flown from Seattle to New York. But I had never been on an airplane before today, and while the flying itself was okay, the take-off and landing had been kind of terrifying. I didn't relish having to do it again. I had to remind myself that I was doing this for Edward - he was in big trouble, and I had to save him. I took a deep steadying breath to calm myself.

Compounding my fear of flying was the ever increasing feeling of foreboding gnawing at the pit of my stomach. I knew the emotion wasn't my own - it felt different - more detached. No, this fear was tinged with dread and hopelessness. I was feeling Edward's emotions through the bond of the imprint. I squeezed my eyes shut to try to tamp down his pain - there was nothing I could do for him right now. I took solace in the fact that I would be able to help as soon as I landed in Italy.

I was in the aisle seat - a very good thing. I needed to be able to stretch my long legs out from time to time on this flight - I was going to be trapped in here for a _very_ long time. This particular flight was twelve and a half hours long - including my previous connection flight, it was eighteen and a half hours total. I was travelling 5,546 miles away from home, across an ocean, and ending up in a foreign country. I didn't even know how many time zones would be crossed from Seattle to Florence. I tried not to think about it. Once we landed, I'd have to figure out how to get to Volterra. At first I thought I would run there, but it might be easier to rent a car with a GPS.

There was a blond woman in the window seat, staring pensively out at the tarmac. She was wearing a flowing, summery dress. She looked around 25 years old. The middle seat was empty for now. I hoped it stayed that way.

It looked like I got my wish when the doors were closed and the aircraft started to taxi down the runway. I gripped the arms of my seat tightly through the take-off, struggling to keep my cool and not panic. Thankfully, the woman didn't look away from the window at all during my little personal ordeal, so I was saved from further embarrassment. As the plane leveled out, I was better able to calm myself down.

It wasn't long before the beverage cart came through.

"What can I get you?" The flight attendant was looking at me pointedly.

Thank god the drinking age in Italy was eighteen. And thank god I looked like I was twenty five. "I'll have a rum and coke," I requested, as if it were totally natural for me.

"Make that two," the blond woman beside me chimed in.

We shared a polite smile as the flight attendant got us our drinks. Once she'd moved on, my seatmate and I clinked our glasses together before taking a sip. I thought it would be inappropriate not to say something.

"I'm really glad no one sat in the middle - it's a lot more comfortable."

"Tell me about it," she retorted, taking a big swig on her drink. I mirrored her, but I took a smaller sip.

Seeking to change the subject, I asked, "Have you been to Italy before?"

"No, have you?"

"First time."

"Me too." She gazed down into her drink. "Actually, I was supposed to come with my boyfriend on this trip - it was a romantic getaway for our three year anniversary."

I wondered if maybe he died...but I didn't dare ask. "Oh, is he sick?"

She laughed bitterly. "No, he ran off with some whore."

Relieved he wasn't dead, but feeling sorry for her all the same, I consoled her. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry..."

She met my eyes and shook her head. "Don't be - good riddance. I mean, he _literally_ ran off with a _whore_..." I was sure I must have looked appalled. "Besides, that happened months ago. It's actually kind of liberating anyway - doing this. Like a journey to start my life anew, ya know?"

I nodded thoughtfully. And then she asked the question I hadn't realized I should have been dreading.

"So...what are _you_ doing in Italy?"

Fuck, how was I supposed to answer her perfectly innocent question? My vampire boyfriend got kidnapped, and I'm on my way to rescue him? Oh yeah, and by the way, I'm a werewolf?

"I'm trying to find the love of my life."

"It's hard to believe a good-looking guy like you hasn't found her yet..."

I ignored her incorrect gender word choice. "I had it, but I lost it. And now, I'm going to get it back."

"How romantic," she sighed, absolutely melting at the thought. She was completely swept up in her own fantasy of what my life must be like. Obviously very off the mark, but she was enjoying it, so I let her.

She asked, "Is she very beautiful?"

"Very." I couldn't help the coy smirk that tugged at the corners of my mouth.

My companion twirled the ends of her hair in her fingers as she slumped against the airplane seat, a satisfied smile on her face. "Do you know where she is now?"

I shook my head sadly. "Not exactly."

The woman sat up straighter and leaned toward me, smiling sweetly. "Then why don't you come on a tour with me. I have an extra ticket, and I hate going on things like that alone. I mean, what if it sucks? Who will I complain to?" She laughed.

I chuckled politely and stalled for time while I figured out how to let her down easy. "Where is this tour going?"

She leaned down under the seat in front of her, rummaging in her carry on bag. "I found this little website while I was researching the trip. It was very simple, but elegant - a little tucked away site that would get lost in the sea of other websites that would certainly come several pages before it in a Google search. I don't know how I stumbled on it, total blind luck, I guess. But there wasn't a lot of info on the site. Just that it was a one day tour of an ancient city's largest castle."

Finding what she was looking for, she took out a pamphlet from her bag and handed it to me, still speaking. "I signed up for more information and they sent me this."

On the pamphlet was an ornate, ancient looking castle, with the words "Visit Volterra" in cursive written across it. My heart leapt into my throat. Maybe the spirits of the elders did love me after all.

"I'm staying in a youth hostel tonight, and the tour bus leaves from Florence at 3:30pm tomorrow."

This was literally my ticket into Volterra - once there, I would be able to smell the vampires immediately. Then, I could sneak away from the tour group, and rescue Edward. It was a perfect plan. Well, it was a perfect plan to get _into_ Volterra, but once I'd found the vampires that held Edward, I didn't know what I was going to do. I'd have to worry about that later - I'd have all day to think about a plan before the tour bus left.

The woman was looking at me expectantly. Trying to seem casual, I said, "Count me in."

She squealed with excitement and grabbed my hand. "Yay! I'm so happy I don't have to go alone!"

I smiled at her. "Me too."

The woman started to laugh. "You know, we haven't even introduced ourselves properly."

I tsked my tongue and with mock seriousness, I extended my hand to her. She mirrored me, grasping my hand and shaking it comically up and down.

"Hi, My name is Silvia Pritchard. Pleased to meet you."

"Hi. Nice to meet you too. My name is Jacob Black."

Silvia prattled on about her family and her dastardly ex-boyfriend as we finished our drinks. It was a great distraction from my worries, but the conversation had begun to hit a lull, seeing as I wasn't volunteering much about my own life. My eyelids began to droop as I realized I hadn't slept in who-knows-how-long. Leaning back in my seat, I closed my tired eyes. "Well, Silvia, this is a terribly long flight, and I think it's the perfect chance to get some sleep - try and combat the jet lag."

Staring at my closed eyelids, I heard her shift in her seat, getting more comfortable. "Good idea."

I drifted off to sleep easily, thankful for my good luck and secure in the knowledge that I would be with my Edward again very soon.


	20. Complications

**Carlisle POV**

I felt terrible for sending Jacob away. But, as the leader of this coven, I did what I had to do in order to make sure my stolen progeny was brought back safely. Edward was my first companion in this life, and I could not bear the thought of losing him. He truly was like my own flesh and blood. And Jacob was hopelessly in love with Edward. There was a very strong possibility that he would do something rash if he came along, and thus, jeopardize the whole operation. I simply could not - _would not_ \- risk my son's death.

My family was gathered solemnly in the den, waiting for Esme to finish finding and booking the fastest flight to Florence with enough seats for us all. We had spent the last few hours formulating a battle plan, being sure to take into account the abilities of the Guard and the Triad themselves. Jasper had been a huge asset in that area, and Emmett was ready for action. Josephine had drawn us a map of a mountainous region southwest of Volterra, where she was certain that Edward was being held. Alice was frustrated as she could still not clearly see the battle and the outcome. I had assured her that once we got on the plane, we'd probably be far enough away from Jacob for her visions to clear up. Antsy, but satisfied with that explanation for now, she paced the room, mirrored by an equally anxious Rosalie.

All heads turned toward the staircase as Esme descended. She stopped halfway down and peered out over us all before her gaze rested on me.

"The soonest direct flight that had enough seats is at 10:47 tonight from Vancouver."

Checking my watch, I realized that only left us with two and a half hours to make it from Forks to Vancouver. We could do it - but we had to leave immediately.

"We'll run," I announced. Everyone rose and began to make for the door, when my cellphone started ringing. My family all turned toward me and froze. I was just as shocked as they were - who would be calling me right now, save for Edward?

I fished the phone out of my pocket and glanced down at the caller I.D. _Jacob._

Sighing heavily, I answered, "Jacob, I told you to stay put. We'll take care of this."

"Take care of what?" The voice was familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it. It was definitely the gruff voice of an older man.

"Nothing. Who is this?" I demanded, a little more harshly than I'd intended.

"Billy Black - Jacob's father."

"Oh, hi Billy," I said, my tone nonchalant. "Can I help you with something?"

"I think you can, Doc," he spat bitterly. "You see, Jake's gone missing - along with _MY_ credit card - but he left his cell phone behind. I tried to dial Edward, but his phone went straight to voicemail. When I saw your number programmed in here, I thought you'd have some answers." Billy's voice hardened with his next words, "Now tell me where my son is."

Mild panic began to set in. What was I going to say to him? _Pull yourself together, Carlisle - you've lied like this countless times._

I struggled to control my voice. "I haven't the faintest idea."

Billy huffed. "Didn't seem that way when you answered the phone."

When I didn't respond, he continued, his anger boiling over. "Why isn't Edward picking up? They ran off together, didn't they?"

I scrambled to calm him. "I don't know, Billy. All I know is that Edward said he was going to leave for a while, and Jacob was upset about it." It was the best thing I could come up with on the spot.

Billy was now enraged. "Oh, like he did with Bella? If I remember correctly," he yelled, "leaving didn't work out that time. How dare he! Doesn't that leech know a wolf could die without his imprint?"

Billy was getting far too upset - I began to worry he might have a heart attack. I tried to calm him down. "I'm not sure if Edward knows that."

"Christ! I'd better go call Sam - Jacob could be suicidal, thanks to _your_ boy!"

I stared at the phone, listening to the dial tone that informed me incessantly that Billy had hung up on me. He could call Sam all he wanted - there was nothing the pack could do. Jacob was probably halfway around the world by now.

Dear God, that foolish boy had no idea what he was getting into. I could only pray that we could get there in time to save them both. My family was all looking at me expectantly, curious about the phone call from Billy.

I breathed a heavy sigh, my shoulders sagging under the weight of this new kink in our plan.

"There's been a complication."

**Marcus POV**

Edward had been captive for nearly sixty three hours.

Not long ago, he had grudgingly accepted the light grey robes that signified the newest recruits. The boy had come to us already on the verge of starvation, so Aro made quick work of forcing him to deny his ridiculous vermin blood diet in favor of the proper human blood that all vampires truly desire. He had lost control of his thirst, and now bore the crimson hue to prove his failure.

And no man or woman could fight off Caius for long. In fact, most gave in after their first or second encounter. But this firecracker kept trying to fight him off, refusing to be dominated with all the strength of will that he possessed. Caius quite enjoyed forcing his submission, the sick bastard. Eventually, Caius wore the boy down.

Now it was time for me to do my part.

On any given day, I possessed no will to speak. Oftentimes, I found myself becoming lost in a whirlpool of grief for my late wife, and I found it difficult to pull myself out of that black hole of sorrow. As a result of my virtual silence, others tended to listen to me when I did decide to speak. Aro knew this of course, and essentially used me to brainwash the more difficult acquisitions. It was an easy task for me, and I didn't really care about the moral implications. We were vampires - we lost our humanity in the change, and vampires had their own stripped-down set of morals. I didn't really care about much anymore - my heart and soul had been empty for centuries. To most, I was a mere shell of a man.

Today Aro wanted me to convince the young boy to join us willingly. His principles had already been undermined by Aro and his innocence shattered by Caius. I shuddered to think of how that child had been abused.

The fact that Edward could read my mind held no consequence to me - he was already greatly weakened. Besides, I had centuries of practice dealing with a mind reader. It would be so simple. There was something, however, that was giving me pause. Aro also wanted me to convince the boy that, if the wolf ever came to rescue him, Edward should take the boy's life and drink of him. The reasoning behind such an unspeakable request was that Edward would make his death quick and painless, whereas Caius would torture and destroy him. This type of treachery was not unheard of for me.

But Aro forgets about my ability. To be able to sense the strength of their bond, and then encourage him to sever it in such a brutal way, was simply impossible for me. Their bond reminded me of myself and Didyme. I felt a kinship to the boy, as though I was seeing myself centuries ago, wishing to take Didyme away from Volterra and live out forever together, alone. I could sense that the wolf was the vampire's true soul mate. And I knew the torture of losing your true mate all too well. I just could not bring myself to do it. I couldn't wish that pain on another.

I pushed open the door to the library where the newcomer was attempting to hide himself away. He was reading an ancient first edition, the title masked by his robed arm. Edward was in a dark recessed corner, reclining on a plush burgundy settee. Setting the book down, his red irises met mine, and a small smile played across his lips.

It was the first time I had seen him smile since he'd arrived.

"Thank you, Marcus."


	21. The Alliance

**Edward POV**

Finally, I was allowed to be alone. And not just in my cell. I was granted freedom from the dungeon when Aro and Caius got the better of me. I let them think that they had won, so they did not fear any further reprisals from me. Satisfied that I would bow to them, they had given me the dark grey robe that signified my elevated rank in the Guard, and set me on my way to explore the grounds of my new home. Aro was confident that I would do nothing to sabotage them - he would see everything the next time he touched me anyway.

For my whole existence, I'd always been alone. I was used to loneliness, though I didn't enjoy it. I was an only child as a human, and had no mate for over a century as a vampire. Even with Bella, I couldn't really be myself - I always had to play the role of the knight in shining armor (quite literally). Finally, with Jacob, I was able to share who I really am with someone who accepted me fully. And now, that was gone. How cruel fate was, to give me a taste of the freedom and companionship I longed for, only to take it from me and throw me head first into _this_. So now, I was alone again, without even my family for support. Everyone here was against me because I was Aro's new "pet" and thus, rose through the ranks of the Guard before others who had worked hard to gain the triad's respect. Little did they know, I was by no means respected.

The only escape I could find from the bombardment of cruel thoughts and scornful eyes was in the library. It was immense, filled with more books than I could have dreamed of. It was also mainly abandoned, as any Volturi that enjoyed reading had already combed over the shelves multiple times. It was the perfect sanctuary for me - I wouldn't be disturbed, and I had plenty to distract me here. Also, the room was devoid of mirrors, so I could pretend that my eyes were still amber - not the crimson shade that reminded me of my failure. The library ensured that I was hidden from Caius too - he was not very interested in literature. I wasn't ready to face him yet, but I couldn't hide from him forever. They expected me to aid them in judgements now. One victim would arrive at the Hall shortly and I would be forced to condemn the vampire. All it wold take was Aro's hand upon my arm. I shuddered to think that I would be reduced to being a grim reaper of sorts.

I tried to lose myself in some classic novels. Unfortunately, the books weren't doing much good in the distraction department. My mind kept turning back to Jacob, remembering with perfect recall our one and only mating. It wasn't my first sexual experience - I'd been with Bella before him. While she was human, I couldn't really lose myself in the act for fear of crushing her, and when she was changed, it was wonderful, but she was just as cold and dead as I was. With Jacob it was different. I'd felt more alive than I ever had before. It was as though his heat penetrated my icy skin, making every long-dead nerve sizzle. The rush of blood pumping through him, his rapid heartbeat against my chest, made me feel like my own dead heart was beating too. It was just _more_. Nothing else could be comparable. I missed him terribly. I longed to feel that way again.

It disgusted me that Aro was privy to my intimate experience. I felt violated that he knew everything. He saw the whole scene, and knew how I felt about it. It was so invasive, and I resented him for it. I found some solace in the fact that I knew his dark secrets though. He had murdered his own sister - I'd seen it clear as day in his mind when his recollections slipped through in my presence. He'd slain her for his own gain - to keep Marcus from leaving Volterra and weakening his plans for domination of our kind. Aro would stop at nothing in the name of ultimate power, and he planned to use Marcus to do the same to me. I vowed to reveal Aro at some point in the future, when it would benefit me the most.

My musings were interrupted as I sensed Marcus' mind approaching the library. He had been sent to convince me to mercifully murder my mate, should he ever decide to try rescuing me, so that Caius would not have a chance to torture him. Of course, I already knew what Marcus was sent for - Aro was good at masking his thoughts from me, but the others were not. They simply didn't know the extent of my ability, and only tended to block me when I was in the same room. They had no idea that I could hear their thoughts from across the castle and beyond. As Marcus thought of his dark purpose for visiting me, I struggled to control my anger. I had to pretend to acquiesce - I repeated this to myself over and over, making it my mantra.

But then, Marcus' thoughts shifted. He couldn't find it within himself to follow through on Aro's plan. Marcus felt a kinship with me. The ancient being could sense relationship bonds, and the strength of my connection with Jacob reminded him of his own with his departed wife. Marcus could not bring himself to condemn another to the life he led - which was not a life at all, but an eternity filled with emptiness. No, he would not attempt to brainwash me into killing my own mate. He wanted to help me. Marcus was on my side.

I set my unread book down as Marcus opened the door and glided into the library. I smiled slightly, a signal that I had heard his sentiments of kinship and his decision to help me.

"Thank you, Marcus."

_So different from Aro's talent._

Marcus smiled despite himself as he realized that I had heard everything. It was strange to see him show any sign of humanity - his face was usually as blank as a fresh piece of paper.

 _I suppose we do not need to speak of the main reason for my visit to you?_ I shook my head no. "Then let us go to the Hall. A defector awaits judgement there. It will be your first trial."

I stiffened, dreading this new duty of mine. I would stand next to Aro, and he would touch me somewhere inconspicuous, listening to the victim's thoughts via my own. But I feared he would know Marcus had not followed through on their plan for me. Marcus was watching me curiously, so I voiced my concern.

"Won't he know what you were thinking?"

Marcus was nonplussed. "No, he will be focused on the thoughts of the defector. Of that, I am confident. He has no cause to distrust me." A small, wry smile played across his thin lips. "I've never failed him before."

I smiled back and nodded, rising to follow him to the Hall to perform for Aro. I hoped Marcus was right - I didn't want to cause trouble for him, especially when I knew what Aro was truly capable of. After all, he had no problem murdering his own sister to secure his "friend's" loyalty. But Marcus didn't know that, and he wasn't worried.

One day, I would return this favor. Marcus was putting himself on the line for me and I promised myself that he would learn the truth behind his mate's demise. But first, I needed to focus on my own situation. I needed to make sure my mate would never fall to danger - even if it meant never seeing him again.

**Jacob POV**

During the 12 hour plane ride, I vomited three times. I had no idea I was subject to air-sickness. There wasn't even any turbulence. The flying was fucking miserable for me. I cursed my bad luck as I heaved in the tiny restroom that barely had room for me to kneel. When Silvia and I finally arrived at the youth hostel, I was exhausted, and I couldn't wait to lay down on the dingy-looking twin bed.

My feet flopped over the end - I was way too big for this bed. Staring at the ceiling, I thought about my puking episodes on the airplane and what might have influenced them. I kept feeling emotions that weren't mine - Edward's emotions. Some were stronger than others, and they ran the gamut - all except for happiness and comfort. Edward never felt those emotions, and it pained me to think of what my mate might be going through.

The most consistent feeling I got from Edward was hopelessness. He thought he was stuck there and that he would have to accept it. He didn't believe I would save him. I guess he thought I wouldn't care enough to get my mate back? He's my _imprint_ , and he can read my mind! He should have no doubt that I would come to rescue him.

I shut my eyes tightly to cut off that train of thought. It wasn't helping me. I focused instead on my recent memories of Edward. Him getting all excited watching The Amazing Race. Him celebrating beating Emmett in a footrace. Him and Alice playing chess. Him fighting the impostor Rosalie to defend my honor. The _reason_ he was defending my honor...

That familiar heat rushed to my groin. I stifled a groan as my rapidly stiffening cock pressed firmly against the zipper of my jeans. Fuck. I wished I wasn't laying out here in the open in this godforsaken hostel. I wished I was with Edward again - like _that_.

Biting my lip, I bent one leg at the knee in an effort to hide my problem from any onlookers and continued to daydream about my mate. So youthful and beautiful. His face looked so angelic, so innocent. But it was an illusion - he knew how to fuck. I thought back to that day, three nights ago now, that he took my virginity. The cheesy but romantic set up in the cottage. Those ice cold expert hands massaging the tight muscles in my back. His lips pressed to mine, our bodies flush, grinding against each other. His mouth on my cock, his cock - piercing me, filling me. My cock strained against the barrier of my jeans and I felt a small drop of liquid escape, dampening my briefs slightly.

Abruptly, I opened my eyes again, and shook my head to clear thoughts were not helping me right now - I was seriously distracting myself. I wasn't going to get any more of Edward anyway if I didn't come up with a plan before we got to Volterra. It wouldn't be long before the tour bus arrived. What were the Cullens doing? Maybe they would get there before I could. No - I _had_ to be the one to save him. I wanted him to see just how much I can't bear to live without him.

After some deliberation, I discovered I really couldn't form a plan. I had no idea what I was walking into. I'd seen the powers that those vampires who captured Edward had. I mean, they were able to capture a mind reader - there's no telling what kinds of abilities the other vampires in the coven possessed. And on top of that, one of the main guys hates wolves!

Out of nowhere, the ceiling started to spin and I promptly puked in the little waste bin that was (thankfully) right next to the bedside.

Shit. What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm supposed to be an Alpha wolf, and here I am puking from nerves! And I have NO plan. I couldn't feel like a more worthless mate.

"Geez, Jacob," Silvia was suddenly beside me. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, sure. Maybe it was the airplane food. I feel fine now."

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood to face her, forcing my queasiness to the back of my mind. She held out a ticket for the bus, which I took from her gratefully.

She smiled brightly, excited for our little adventure. "Time to go!"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The moment our tour guide climbed onto the crowded bus, my nose was overwhelmed by a familiar sickly sweet scent. The bus was dim, but I noticed she did not remove her sunglasses. She wore a flowing, ankle-length dress, three-quarter gloves and a wide-brimmed hat. I had no doubt that the strikingly beautiful woman was a vampire. What was she doing on a bus full of humans? Was she like the Cullens? I seem to remember that vampires like the ones I knew were extremely rare.

Silvia sucked in a sharp breath as she took in the sight of the immortal woman. "Whoa, she is _gorgeous_." I nodded my agreement, never taking my eyes off the vampire.

The female smiled wide and addressed the group with a strange cheeriness that felt somehow sinister to me. Her Italian accent was thick, but her tone was lyrical. "Welcome, friends. My name is Heidi, and I'll be leading your group today. I'm so happy you all will be joining us for our tour of the ancient castle of Volterra. We will be there in a little less than two hours, so sit back, relax," she gestured towards the windows, "and enjoy the scenic vistas."

The rest of the humans applauded as the engine roared to life and Heidi sat down in the front seat. I couldn't believe it. This bitch was a vampire and she was going to lead me straight to Edward. I smiled to myself. This was almost too easy!

Suddenly, the vampire turned in her seat and looked directly at me. I made eye contact and smiled. I noticed that her cheeks didn't reach her eyes when she smiled back politely. Turning back in her seat now that she had been caught staring, I saw Heidi's nose crinkle. So, she could smell that I was different. But I look human and that confused her. Heidi was suspicious, but she seemed to push that uneasy feeling aside and let herself believe I was just another tourist.

The bus pulled out of the lot and I settled in for the two hour drive. Time that would be spent taking in the "scenic vistas", and steeling myself for what was to come.


	22. Bloodbath

**Aro POV**

Standing before my throne, which sat at the center of the raised platform of the Great Hall, I peered down at the vampire struggling at my feet. His upper body was restrained by my two strongest Guards, Santiago and Felix, but his legs were free, and he kicked with all of his might to free himself. Renata hovered behind my throne, partially hidden from view.

Caius sat smugly in the throne to my right. He wasn't focused on the vampire before us - his eyes were distant - fantasizing. I knew he was hoping that Edward's wolf-boy would come to rescue him. He always loved seeing a wolf die, and what better way than at the hands of his own lover. The man was truly depraved, but that was why I kept him around - he, in turn, kept the Guard in line with his brand of ruthlessness.

Edward's wolf was attractive. I'd seen the boy called Jacob in his thoughts often. I could understand his allure, and the bond that Edward felt toward him was strong. I fervently hoped that Caius' wish would not come true. Although Edward would be freed of his attachments to the outside world, I didn't want another Marcus on our hands. That had been a mistake. I got what I wanted - Marcus' loyalty - but it was all because of a trick, a farce that I orchestrated. Without a mate in the way, it was easy for Chelsea to work her magic on him.

My senses were alerted to their arrival as the scent of the two missing vampires approached the Hall. The Guard straightened, anticipating the arrival of our newest member, and anxious to see how we would work together to 'interrogate' the prisoner.

As they entered the Hall, Edward glanced anxiously around, meeting my eyes briefly before averting them to take in the prisoner, who had stopped struggling to see what had grabbed every one's attention. The Guard were all glaring at him when he chanced a look at them. He ducked his head to hide his face as the crowd parted to ease his way to the pulpit. No doubt he was trying to shield himself from the sea of disdainful thoughts shouting at him. My minions were quite jealous that I had appointed him to serve me so closely. Many of them have been 'sucking up' me for years.

Marcus followed the boy to the platform. Wondering if he had succeeded in persuading the boy to act on our plan for him, I caught my brother's gaze and asked him the unspoken question. His thin lips pulled into a tight smile that disappeared in a flash. He _had_ been successful. Edward offered further confirmation of this as he took his position next to me.

"I'm sorry that I was so...," he paused, searching for the right word, "...difficult before. I'm ready to serve you now." He stared at me innocently with his newly red eyes.

Caius snorted from his throne. I ignored him and nodded solemnly, accepting Edward's pledge to me. As Marcus took his seat in the throne to my left, I placed a hand on the small of Edward's back. His thoughts immediately began rushing into me. I focused my mind on the here and now, pushing his memories away from my consciousness until it became a faint static. I needed to focus on the task at hand, not become distracted by his past experiences. There would be plenty of time to know everything there was to know about Edward.

Squaring his shoulders, Edward stared directly at the prisoner, zeroing in on his thoughts.

The captive's wild eyes darted between myself and Edward. What a strange looking pair we were. I was centuries old, and I looked it. My skin was papery, my eyes were watery. That is what happens when vampires spend long stretches of life mainly indoors. Edward, however, was young and vibrant in his appearance. He exuded the innocence of a boy on the cusp of manhood. It was deceiving, and many vampires fell for it, even though every vampire knows you can't judge age by appearance.

The prisoner's gaze settled on Edward's silently staring form. He did look rather unnerving, glaring at the vampire, focusing in on his mind with such fierce intensity. It was plain to see that the prisoner was frightened of what he might do, or indeed, what he may already be doing. I _knew_ he would be the perfect complement to me.

"Do you know why you are here?" I questioned the prisoner, who snapped his head toward me as his attention shifted from Edward.

He was determined to stay silent in an attempt to thwart me. However, he had no idea of what Edward could do, and that we both knew what he was thinking. An image formed in his mind at my query: _Himself, in the blackest shade of robes, standing in my position, my minions throwing themselves at his feet, kissing them reverently..._

_Just as I thought._

"You didn't think you could get away with your plot to overthrow me, did you?"

The vampire knew he was caught, and his jaw set in resignation. He did not reply, but he recognized that there was no escaping this. The end for him was nigh, and I would be the one to make it so.

Edward stiffened minutely at my thoughts, a movement so slight that I would not have noticed had I not been touching him.

_It's him or me, Edward._

I signaled Felix and Santiago with my free hand and watched as they tore the offending vampire's arms apart from his torso. His agonized screams filled the room for a few moments before Felix silenced him forever with a twist and crack of his neck, removing his head. The vampire's thoughts (which were merely screams of pain) were abruptly cut off, and I dropped my hand from Edward's back. The boy visibly relaxed, now that his thoughts were his own once more.

Santiago swiftly lit a match, throwing it upon the dismembered body. Thick purple smoke rose up from the funeral pyre.

_You did well, my boy._

Edward closed his eyes, avoiding my gaze. I didn't need to see into his mind to know that he was disgusted with himself. The first kill was always the hardest. He would get used to it in time.

_Are you hungry, child?_

Edward turned his face away and shook his head. Reaching out, I brushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear, letting my fingertips linger on his skin for just a moment. I learned that he was not desperately hungry, but he worried that he wouldn't be able to resist if I presented him with a human.

I smirked and turned to face the crowd.

"Heidi will be arriving momentarily with our meal."

The Guard murmured amongst themselves in excitement. Several of them licked their lips in anticipation. The scent of Heidi's group had just entered the wing in which the Hall was located, and Heidi was bringing them past Gianna. All eyes trained on the heavy wooden double-doors. Not a moment later, the creaking of the ancient brass hinges signaled the arrival of the humans.

**Silvia POV**

Jacob's nose crinkled and his lips curled. He choked on the air, but tried to hide it.

"Damn, that's potent," he muttered under his breath before coughing.

"Hmm?" I asked, wondering what his problem was. We had been trailing behind the rest of the group since we'd gotten off the bus. It was kind of hard to hear the tour guide from back here, but Jacob seemed to be ill again. Poor guy had been sick all day.

"Do you smell that? It's like a stinging, burning smell - like something that's too sugary." Jacob shrugged, as if he already knew that I couldn't smell it.

Trying to sound empathetic, I admitted, "I don't smell anything," while shrugging my shoulders.

Actually, I _did_ smell something, but it smelled sweet to me - pleasant. Funny, because I expected an old castle to smell kind of musty. The only word to describe the smell was enticing...I couldn't quite put my finger on why, but I wanted to be closer to the scent, to have more of it.

"Huh, well, it's overwhelming to me. That plane food really did a number on me. The stench in here is making me feel sick again." I noticed he was trying to control his body from trembling, but he wasn't succeeding.

I was beginning to think Jacob might have a bigger problem than just food poisoning. Didn't brain tumors cause people to think they were smelling sulfur? I hope he doesn't have brain cancer - he's such a sweetheart.

"Guess I'll just breathe through my mouth."

He took deep breaths in through his mouth and out through his nose as we followed the tour group through the castle. It was breathtaking, and the architecture was so old and intricate. It amazed me to think about how the people of the time could pay such close attention to detail, with such limited tools to create it with. My favorite things were the gargoyles (the way their eyes stared made me feel like they wanted to eat me from breakfast - so creepy). Heidi told little historical anecdotes as we walked along. Every time I looked at Jacob though, he seemed distracted. As if he were searching for something.

Soon, we were crammed in an elevator, on our way to see the 'Great Hall', as Heidi called it. As the elevator started moving and the floor felt like it was dropping beneath us, Jacob gasped and his hand flew to his stomach. He blinked furiously and drew short breaths to ease his queasiness. If this was motion sickness, Jacob had it bad. Poor guy even gets sick in elevators. After the tour, I'd have to find a way to encourage him to see a doctor.

Heidi glanced over at him and narrowed her eyes before continuing what she was saying, "In ancient times, the Great Hall was used as a court by day, and a dining hall by night."

The crowd murmured to each other in excitement. I was excited too, certain that the room would be a grand and beautiful sight. Jacob just seemed agitated. I wondered why he still came along. If he felt so terrible, he shouldn't have come.

The elevator doors opened and we filed out. Jacob and I were still towards the back of the pack, but we didn't trail far behind this time. Heidi spoke to the nervous looking girl sitting at the large desk in what appeared to be a waiting area.

"Is the Great Hall ready for us?"

The girl nodded as her eyes quickly raked over the tour group. Her gaze met mine and lingered there for a moment before she looked back at Heidi. "Si, Signora."

Heidi smiled and gestured for us to follow her. She led us to a giant wooden double-door adorned with two large, ornate brass handles. She pulled the doors open, and suddenly, I could feel us being shoved inside from behind.

Bodies crashed against one another as the group was herded roughly into the room. It was disorienting. I heard the heavy doors slam shut with a loud smash. Looking back in the direction of the sound, I saw two burly men locking the door shut with a long rod threaded through the handles.

That was when I realized what was happening. We were trapped here. I whirled around in a panic, looking for Jacob, but all I could see was a sea of pale people wearing long dark cloaks. They were staring at us, grinning in a way that showed all of their teeth. Their eyes were the most horrifying things I'd ever seen, straight out of a Halloween movie - red, like blood. Unnatural.

These were not people. They were demons.

A scream left my throat without permission, and the flock of demons descended upon us. They snatched their prey with impossible speed, sinking their teeth into the flesh of my petrified companions' necks. The terrified people tried to get away, but the blood-thirsty demons were too powerful. People were dropping like flies at the hands of these beasts. It was all happening so fast, it felt like barely a minute had passed. I had to find Jacob and get away from here. I made my way toward the exit, dodging bloodied bodies on the floor.

Reaching a far wall, I searched the crowd for Jacob. I caught sight of him standing stock-still amid the screams and terror, staring intently at the other side of the room, seemingly oblivious to the carnage around him. Craning my neck to follow his line of sight, I watched in horror as a redheaded demon flashed across the room and appeared directly in front of Jacob. I was about to scream at him to run, but instead of tearing into his neck like the others, the demon wrapped Jacob in its arms and drew him close, engulfing him in it's cloak. It was almost as though this thing was trying to protect him. Like it cared for him... _loved_ him. Could this creature be the one Jacob spoke of on the plane? Suddenly, I was raving mad. He knew what we were walking into, and he hadn't thought to warn me!

My anger didn't last long as a freezing cold hand encircled my bicep. I wrenched my head around to look at the owner of that hand - the bringer of my certain death. The creature looked like a small boy, no more than twelve or thirteen. It looked so lovely, so innocent...if it weren't for the iron grip and those blood-red eyes.

"My, but you do look delicious," it purred before it sank it's teeth into my neck. My screams died in my throat as I felt myself grow weaker and weaker, until the world around me went black.


	23. Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter begins while Edward and the Volturi are awaiting the arrival of the tour group.

**Edward POV**

I knew I smelled him.

At first, I thought it was just a phantom scent, a product of wishful thinking and post-traumatic stress. But I knew for sure that Jacob had come for me when I caught a stray thought in Heidi's mind as her group was riding the elevator. I saw Jacob, clear as day, through her eyes. He was doubled over, clutching at his stomach. I felt my own stomach crunch in response to his distress. Heidi wondered if he might vomit. She registered that he smelled like a wet dog She also smelled the scent of vampire on him, but she pushed it to the back of her mind, unable to make sense of it. It was my scent, but more diluted. Could it be that he had not showered since we'd last been together? How long had I been here?

None of that mattered, now that he was here. He had arrived quickly to rescue me, just as I hoped he wouldn't. I wasn't sure how I would be able to do it, surrounded by the enemy, but I had to protect him. I had to get him out of here alive, before that demented creep Caius could get his hands on him.

The ravenous crowd of vampires faced the double-doors, anticipating the arrival of their next meal. A chorus of footsteps fell in the hallway outside the Hall, the sound steadily growing, echoing loudly in their approach. Venom flooded my mouth as the sweet aroma of their life blood came ever closer. Their thoughts reverberated in my mind, all excitement and wonder. They had no idea that death was imminent.

Pushing my bloodlust aside, I searched for Jacob's mind. It didn't take long to zero in on him. He was nervous, but determined. He steeled himself, ready for anything, but, deeper down, unsure of what he would find. Would I look different? What if they had shaved my head or something? Had they erased my memory of him? Would I still want him?

That silly mutt. As if I could ever forget him. As if he wasn't the other half of my very soul, which he had awakened after so long being dormant.

The doors swung open, and the group was shoved into the room, Felix and Santiago swiftly bolting the exit shut. Wild thoughts filled me - confusion, fear, desperation - as the vampires descended on their prey. Screams and struggling persisted, as blood was spilt from the terrified humans. The potent scent tickled my nose as the carnage got worse, but I willed myself not to partake. Instead, I searched the mess of gore and limbs for my mate, lost in the throngs.

As more bodies fell, the towering Quileute rose from the masses, a beacon of hope and light amid the darkness and evil of my peers. He found me too - our eyes met and my dead heart soared. I never thought I would see my love again, and yet, here he was, ready to take me away from this place.

 _Edward!_ His mind cried out to me, and I ran, faster than he could register the movement, until I was before him. He threw himself into my open arms, and hurriedly, I wrapped my cloak around him, pulling him close to my chest, and out of the reach of the grasping hands of the ravenous blood-drinkers surrounding us.

 _Jacob! Watch out!_ A woman called out in her mind, her voice too taxed by her screams to warn him properly. To warn him away from _me_. I sought her out in the crowd, only to see Alec swoop in and claim her blood as his own. She cursed him right before she died - Jacob's companion, another sacrifice in the tragic story of our love. Guilt washed through me as I buried my nose in my mate's silky hair, drinking in the scent that made me feel whole again. His large hands clutched at my back, clinging to me, not wanting to let go for fear of losing me once more. He wouldn't lose me again. I was willing to do anything to get us out of here, to safety and the freedom to enjoy our love for the rest of eternity.

We stayed like that, in our desperate embrace, as the last humans fell around us. The frenzy at an end, the vampires began to form a circle around us. Jacob was the final survivor, and they all wanted to drink him themselves. The sight of me, shielding him from their crimson eyes, sparked curious thoughts into action.

_The newling has claimed him?_

_What's taking him so long?_

_He smells so strange...I wonder what he tastes like..._

_The Moon Child has arrived._

Caius was not a fool - he surmised that since I hadn't killed him, this boy must be my mate. The circle of vampires parted to let him through, his face adorned with a most evil grin. He stopped a few feet away from us, and reluctantly, I rose from my crouched position, pulling Jacob to his feet with me. The cloak dropped from his shoulders as we rose, and it flowed around my own body once more. I wrapped one arm tightly around Jacob's waist, holding him against me. I bared my teeth at Caius, to show this monster that I wasn't about to give up.

 _Ouch! You're gonna leave a bruise, babe..._ I squeezed Jake's hip in apology before loosening my grip - but not too much.

"So, my young friend. This must be your wolf mate we've heard tell of." The crowd around us murmured as Jacob straightened up to his full height, in an effort to appear intimidating. It worked - Caius took a step back. His memory flashed back briefly to his near-fatal encounter with a werewolf, which only rekindled his vengeful purpose.

Boldly, Caius looked my Jacob in the eye with a withering glare. Jacob returned the glare, determined to stand his ground. He took a small step forward, moving his body to shield mine halfway behind him. My protector.

 _So, you will not kill him, as we have requested._ His milky eyes moved to meet mine. _A pity. For you and for him. I'll be sure to draw out his death for you. It will please me to make him beg for mercy._

I showed him no outward reaction. Inside, I was consumed, both enraged and afraid. I knew the horrible things Caius was capable of. But surely, I could take down the ancient vampire on my own - he had no special abilities. But what would happen while I took him out? Jacob was certain to be ambushed by the others while I was distracted.

Caius' attentions returned to Jacob, who remained standing proudly, alpha masculinity exuding from every pore. The cruel vampire taunted my mate, using Jacob's devotion for me to his advantage.

"Foolish boy. Come to rescue your _lover_. Well, I'll have you know, his innocence is gone. I took it from you." Jacob's mind went red with rage, and his hands clenched into fists at his side. _He touched MY imprint?_

Caius grinned, noticing that his words were having the desired effect. He twisted the knife further, "Oh, he fought me at first, but it was worth the struggle - he was _so fucking tight_."

Jacob's jaw dropped in shock - internally, he was paralyzed by rage that this _leech_ had defiled me and taken away what was rightfully him. He hesitated, unsure if this was the truth or a ploy.

Hoping to take out Caius before Jacob could phase and further incite the wolf-hating vampire, I rushed at Caius myself. I heard Jane's mind focus in on me as I moved forward, and then, all I could feel was burning.

Writhing and screaming in pain, I heard Jacob's mind shriek in terror - he did not know what was happening to me. To him, my fall was quite sudden, and unwarranted. Jane was a mystery to him. I felt his hands upon me, trying to soothe me, as Jane kept on with her torment, enjoying the show. Caius' rich laughter reached my ears through the burn, and then, Jacob's hands were gone, and I heard a loud crack.

The vampires gasped, both mentally and verbally, as they watched Jacob phase. A shower of shredded clothing pelted the vampires closest to him. A stray piece of denim struck Jane, and she was momentarily distracted. The pain was gone as Jane changed her intention and focused on the wolf, preparing to torture him as she had tortured me. But, she didn't have the chance - in her distraction, I was able to recover quickly, swinging around to snap the bitch's neck.

At that moment, my family burst into the room. And not a moment too soon, as Alec's wail pierced the room, and all eyes fell on me. The guard began to advance, but my family cut them off, each taking on two Guards, fending them off. Alec rushed to his sister's headless body, consumed in grief. Esme and Alice decided Alec must be taken out quickly, as his ability was powerful and his need for vengence would no doubt lead him back to Forks if he was allowed to live. Of course, Alec noticed their approach, and he attempted to enshroud them in his talent. Thankfully, his grief outweighed his rage at the moment, and the mist crept more slowly than usual, giving Jasper a chance to sneak up on him from behind, and remove his head. The mist promptly disappeared.

Carlisle and Emmett were fending off attacks from a few of the braver Guards, and Rosalie had restarted the fire from the vampire I had helped condemn. Jasper swiftly added the remains of the twins to the flames, filling the room with purple smoke. The Guard was disoriented and some were frightened - no one had ever been able to best the twins. They stood down, and, instead of attacking my family and I, turned their attention to the confrontation between Caius and the monstrous, pissed off wolf.

The ancient vampire and the young wolf were circling each other, both calculating their best chance to strike. After several false starts, Caius finally struck, only moments before Jacob could. His fist connected with Jacob's right shoulder, and a sickening crack rang out in the Hall. Before Caius could retract his fist, Jacob clamped his jaws down on the arm and tore, tossing the detached limb away, into the crowd.

Caius shouted in anger and Jacob fell to the floor. He was whimpering in pain, licking his paw in a soothing manner. The emotional side of me wanted to run to him and comfort him, but the mind-reading part knew that this was an act. A bone had definitely cracked, but the break was clean and was already fusing back together. Of course, Caius and the others were unaware of his healing capabilities, and he was playing up the pain. He whined on pitifully, wanting Caius to think he was badly hurt, and give him false confidence, so that Caius might act foolishly and make a mistake. Emmett started to think about jumping in and helping Jacob finish him off. I cut off his line of thought with a terse shake of my head.

This was Jacob's fight - and he would win.

"How about a few broken ribs, Moon Child?" Caius taunted, laughing. He was about to kick Jacob in the ribs, but he was drawing his leg back slowly for the crowd as dramatic effect. I should have been cringing, but I had the benefit of knowing what Caius didn't - that Jacob was going to launch his attack... _right now_.

Caius' leg was in mid-swing when Jacob whipped around and clamped his teeth around the leg and tore it from the vampires body. Down one arm and one leg, Caius collapsed to the floor.

Caius could only get out a strangled, "Wait!" before Jacob pounced on him and cracked his face apart in his jaws. He continued to tear Caius apart in chunks until the body was fully destroyed. Stepping back from his kill in triumph, he watched as Emmett, Jasper and Alice rushed forward and gathered the pieces, throwing them into the fire where Jane and Alec had just been burnt.

I was so proud of him in that moment. This was my mate. He defended my honor and destroyed the vampire that defiled me. He gave no thought to the fact that he was ridiculously outnumbered - his sole desire and focus was to protect me. And he had. He saved me from a fate worse than death. He had more than proved his love for me.

Now _I_ would have to find a way to prove my love to _him_.

As Caius burned away to ash, Aro suddenly reappeared. He had hidden himself away up until now, avoiding battle with the aid of Renata. He waved her away from him, confident that he wouldn't need her assistance any longer. He stopped when he was standing a few yards from me, and stared at me for a minute. All I could see in his mind was an image of myself standing before him, fists clenched, wearing a look of insolence.

"You just _had_ to defy me to save your...odorous mate," he said in a condescending tone. He sneered at Jacob, who bared his teeth as his tail swished menacingly in response.

Aro returned his attention to me. "Now, I've lost my most valuable assets. And it's _your fault_." He extended his index finger at me to make his point. He was actively blocking me, so that I wouldn't know what he was going to do. I had come to depend on my ability, so it was unnerving.

With a quick, minute hand gesture, Felix and Santiago were set upon me. They each had one of my arms before I could react; they were clamping down on me with all their might. I gritted my teeth, feeling and hearing the small hairline cracks start to form. Everyone else heard it too. Some didn't like watching executions. But others relished the violence.

Jacob was getting ready to strike, but Carlisle restrained him with a hand on his scruff. He whined desperately and dug at the floor with his paw. Carlisle was pissed - I was _his_ , and damned if he was going to allow this to happen.

"He's mine to discipline as I see fit, Aro," Carlisle hissed, using the only tactic he thought might have a chance, promising to 'punish' me.

Aro smiled gently at Carlisle. "Not anymore, Stregoni. Not anymore."

Esme sobbed and the girls huddled together, hiding their faces, unable to watch. The boys stood in shock, unwilling to grasp that this was actually happening. Aro continued in a booming voice, announcing to the remaining Guard why he was about to kill me.

"My coven is in ruins, and you are the cause. And now, you will repay me with your life."

My family tensed at his words, and Jacob growled. He was aware that Carlisle's grip was weakening in his despair, and he thought he would be able to break free and rescue me. I hoped he wouldn't. He'd surely be killed. And I couldn't bear that, even in death.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Taken aback that he would give me a chance to speak, my mind went blank. He was about to take back his offer, but then, I remembered. I held the ace. It was now or never - literally.

"Marcus," I raised my voice to catch his attention. He had been staring into space this whole time, utterly lost in his thoughts of Didyme. His gaze met mine and he quirked an eyebrow at me. He silently urged me to continue. Aro looked on in interest.

"Aro killed your mate - I saw it in his mind." His brow crinkled, and he shot a quick glance at Aro, who was feigning surprise, before meeting my eyes again.

My words were rushed - I didn't want anyone to cut me off.

"He killed your Didyme, just like he killed my Bella. Like he wants to kill my Jacob! He did it because you were going to leave him, and he wanted you to stay - to reign with him, not run off with his sister. He killed her to make you stay with him!"

I could have told him that Chelsea had helped strengthen his bond to Aro, but I decided to let her live. Now, I knew the kind of hell it was to serve Aro closely. You _had_ to do what he told you. He'd know if you didn't.

Marcus' face was still as stone, his lips pressed in a tight, thin line, a look of vengeance frozen on his face. Only his eyes moved as they slowly drifted from me and landed on his 'brother' in a penetrating glare. He slowly turned and stalked toward Aro, who began backing away as Marcus approached him.

"Renata?" Aro called, nervously. The girl perked up and began to rush to her master's side. Marcus spoke up then.

"One step closer, girl, and you die too."

She stayed put. Aro raised his hands, palms facing Marcus in a show of submission, and tried to reason with his brother.

"Marcus, it's not what you think," he pleaded. "Why would I kill my own sister?"

Marcus did not answer, he only continued his advance on Aro, his mind consumed with revenge. Aro's back hit the wall - he was trapped, and he knew it. When Marcus didn't stop his advance, Aro tried a different tactic.

Desperately, he shouted, "It's a lie, Marcus! Don't you see, he's lying to save his own skin! You are my brother, Marcus. I would never do anything to hurt you. How can you trust this boy? After all I've done for you!"

Marcus was standing directly in front of him now, so close that their noses almost touched.

"All you've done for me is destroy the only thing that mattered."

His arms moved so fast, I almost didn't see them snap Aro's neck. Marcus killed him swiftly and painlessly. I was certain that Aro would not have done the same for him, but Marcus was a better man. Nevertheless, Marcus did take the pleasure of a post-mortem dismemberment, his smile growing wider with every body part of his former 'brother' that he threw into the crackling fire.

The Guard stood, frozen in place, fearful of Marcus' next move as they watched him gleefully burning the pieces of their former master. Caius was dead now as well, so they were left with only Marcus. They had no idea what kind of leader he would be. Nobody knew him. He never cared to try. They were mainly afraid - afraid that he might be _worse_ than Aro or Caius. Remarkably, no one seemed to miss Jane or Alec. The rest of the Guard had despised the twins as much as (if not more than) any other vampire in the world.

As the last bits of Aro turned to ash, Marcus raised his gaze from the fire. His eyes raked the crowd, noting the various guard members in shock and my relieved (but still nervous) family, before meeting my eyes. His smile softened, and he glanced over at Jacob, gesturing for us to stand together. "Please," he encouraged.

Jacob loped over to me, and I met him halfway. I fell to my knees and threw my arms around his furry, thick neck, hugging him close to me, not caring that I had an audience. He butted my shoulder with his head and proceeded to lick the side of my face. Chelsea and Renata were repulsed that I let a giant mutt lick me.

He licked me again, but I didn't mind. It was the closest thing I could get to a kiss. He was reluctant to phase back, since he had destroyed his clothes, and damn it - I wasn't about to let all these people see my Jacob naked. He was mine. Mine alone. His thoughts echoed my own. Together again, we were whole once more.

Marcus absolved my family of any implications in the fight, opening the lines of future communication and allegiance. Carlisle readily agreed - when he had spent time in Volterra, he had connected most genuinely with Marcus. Their friendship was real, not based on tricks and lies.

We left Volterra, confident in the knowledge that the powerful Volturi coven would no longer be the ever-present threat they had once been.


	24. Reunion

**Jacob POV**

The strange feeling in my belly had lessened significantly since I had been reunited with my imprint. It was still there, fluttering every now and again, but it was much more manageable. I figured the imprint was still suffering from our separation. I was still feeling tired, even though I had slept a solid 14 hours since we had arrived at the lavish St. Regis Hotel in Florence. But at least I no longer felt the need to vomit every five minutes. I was, however, incredibly horny.

I turned over in the four-poster bed, complete with canopy, to gaze at my shirtless vampire. He was staring, vampire-still, out of the window into the distance. His profile was breathtaking, like something sculpted. Even though I knew he didn't need to breathe, his motionless chest unsettled me a little. He had a far away look, lost in thought, probably ruminating on the terrible things he had been through over the last few days. At first, he had been ashamed of the crimson hue his eyes now sported, thinking that they made him ugly and frightening to me. But I assured him that wasn't the case. It wasn't his fault; they had forced him to eat humans. Besides, I found his eyes strangely alluring. No, it couldn't be that which was upsetting him.

_What's wrong, baby?_

Edward turned to look at me, sadness clouding his blood-red eyes. His voice was barely a whisper; I had to struggle to catch his words, even with my advanced hearing.

"Just before you arrived, I condemned a vampire to his death. He wanted to overthrow the Volturi. Aro used me to hear his thoughts. It is my fault that he's dead." My mate hid his face in his hands, ashamed of himself.

Swiftly, I got out of bed and wrapped him in my warm embrace. He sagged against me, burying his face in my bare chest.

"It's not your fault, Ed," I said, stroking his hair soothingly. "I'm sure they would have killed him anyway, with or without your help."

"Yes, but I made it that much easier for them."

"Well, look at it this way. At least you granted his dying wish. The Volturi _was_ overthrown. _You_ did that."

He tilted his face up to look at me. "With your help." He tightened his grip around my waist and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

Oh, how I wanted him then, but talking about the confrontation with the Volturi made me remember something that nagged at me. I tried to block it from Edward, but he knew something was up. He peered at me expectantly - he wasn't going to let me off the hook, I knew. So, I may as well just tell him. My mind pictured Edward's final plea to Marcus before he was to be executed. Edward sighed as he realized what was bothering me. A lump in my throat formed as my insecurity grew, and I could not speak the words. I pushed his shoulders gently, and he moved back so that we stood facing each other. We were still close, but we were no longer hugging.

_When you petitioned Marcus, you compared Bella's murder to his mate's death. You mentioned her before you mentioned me._

Edward replied immediately. "Oh, Jake, I had to! I was stuck in that cell for a long time with no distractions but my own thoughts. I'd seen it in Aro's mind - the murder of Marcus' wife, and I had to figure out how best to use it to my advantage. My best parallel was Bella."

I nodded in understanding, looking away from his face. I couldn't help it - my feelings were still hurt. I was irrationally jealous of a dead woman.

"But listen, Jake. While I was thinking about her, I had an epiphany. It was never her, Jacob. It has always been you for me."

I felt my heart literally skip a beat. I met his eyes - they were filled with his devotion for me. He pressed on, sensing my uncertainty was fading. "Without Bella, there would never have been a reason for us to know each other - to feel anything for each other. Even if it was hate at first." I let out a short laugh, remembering how strong our past animosity was. It seemed like another life now.

"If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have stopped to think twice when you found me in the woods - you would have just torn me to pieces. But you _did_ stop - to see if your enemy was actually dead - and you imprinted on me. None of it would have happened without her. We would have gone on to endure an emptiness in our hearts that we could never fill or pinpoint. But that didn't happen. We found each other against all odds. Bella was my singer, but you, Jacob, _you_ are my true mate."

My wolf howled with joy inside me, his declaration of love obliterating my fears. Our lips met then, at first slow and languid as we poured our emotion into it, rediscovering each other. Soon, however, our need to reunite overtook us, and our tongues battled and delved deep, mimicking the thrusting that we both longed for, oh-so-badly. Hands groped everywhere - it was hard to keep track, so I just went with it. Everything felt amazing to the point of toe curling.

My lungs started to burn, and I reluctantly detached my lips from his, drawing in a lungful of air. His cool, hard lips trailed along my jaw and down my neck, causing me to gasp at the sensation and making it difficult to catch my breath.

"You were so sexy today," Edward purred against my neck, "So powerful. So... _dominant_."

I scratched my nails down his bare back, eliciting a deep rumble from his chest. My cock jerked with anticipation. "Mmmm, you like when I'm dominant?" I said, teasingly.

"Oh yeah..." he breathed, his velvet voice husky with need.

_I'll show you dominance._

Taking control, I pushed him backwards onto the bedspread. Edward growled his approval, his red eyes now black with desire. My gaze raked over his prone body, my intense eye-fucking making him shiver. My scrutiny came to a rest on his tightly-tented pajama pants.

 _Those have to go._ His breath hitched as I tore away the barrier of his pants, setting his glorious cock free from its confines. He scooted backward until he was more centered on the bed as I slipped my own pants off and climbed onto the mattress. He couldn't take his eyes off my cock - it bobbed heavily between my legs as I crawled over to him. Unconsciously, he licked his lips. I knew he wanted to taste me, but I wasn't going to let him. I held the power tonight, and I wanted to show him how much I loved him.

He sighed in contentment at my thoughts and watched as I wrapped my fingers around his erection, pumping it leisurely. A long moan escaped him at my touch, and it urged me forward. Dipping my head down, I slowly tongued the small slit at the tip of his cock, making him cry out.

 _God, you are so fucking hot - so hard for me,_ I thought at him, as I took him into my mouth as far as my throat would allow. The taste of him was driving me crazy, but I focused on bringing him pleasure. Fisting my own cock, I moved my mouth over his length, up and down as fast as I could. I sucked him with abandon, creating suction with my cheeks that I knew would feel amazing, alternating licks and nips along his shaft. His hands threaded through my hair, pulling roughly on the strands, the most beautiful moans leaving his lips. I cupped his balls and started rolling them between my fingers. He spewed a string of nonsensical words as I felt his balls draw up closer to his body, signaling his impeding release.

"Wait," he begged, his voice rough and strained. I did as he asked, feeling a little disappointed. Keeping a steady hand on his cock, I lifted my head to look at him. His hair was a mess from him tossing his head against the bedspread, his chest was rising and falling rapidly with unneeded panting. I imagined him for a moment, flushed red and covered in sweat. His eyelids threatened to close, so heavy was his desire, and he moaned at my mental image of him.

Then, he seemed to snap to attention. He cupped my chin and turned me so that we could look in each others eyes. His face became very serious, like he was about to lay something huge on me.

"I want you to claim me, Jake. Claim me as yours as I've claimed you as mine."

My wolf rejoiced. I never imagined he would want me to claim him, at least not _this_ soon! I was thrilled he wanted me that way and I certainly wasn't about to disappoint him. He grinned and closed his eyes, arching his back to rub his cock against my belly. His thighs parted for me, and he allowed me to prepare him. Remembering the initial pain I felt when he had first entered me, I thoroughly stretched him, wanting to be sure my sizable cock wouldn't hurt him.

"I won't feel the same kind of pain," he whispered, bearing down on my fingers to make me probe him deeper, wanting more. Satisfied that he was ready for me, I removed my fingers from him, and positioned myself above him, drawing his knees up to allow better access. But, when I pressed my blunt head against him, his body tensed beneath me. Chancing a look at his face, his eyes were squeezed shut and he was biting down on his lower lip. This wasn't what I wanted - I didn't want him to be afraid.

Edward looked devastated. "I'm sorry, Jake...I...I can't."

My wolf brayed in disappointment, but I stopped my forward motion, cupping his cheek in my hand. He opened his eyes to meet mine, his expression filled with trepidation.

"I _want_ to feel you inside me, Jake. But..." he trailed off, averting his eyes.

_But?_

"I've been hurt. Caius..." his voice trailed off again, but the look on his face told me all I needed to know.

So it _was_ true. I had thought Caius was just saying that to provoke me. That fucking bastard, hurting my imprint, causing him pain! Making him afraid to let me make love to him! I wanted to make sure that nothing about our union reminded him of that sick creep. I didn't know what position Caius had used to rape him - I assumed it would be from behind, but he could have taken Edward in the missionary position, so he could see the devastation on my mate's face. Edward looked away, neither confirming or denying my thoughts, but I took that as affirmation.

 _I would never hurt you like that_. "Do you trust me?"

We looked deeply into each other's eyes for a long moment before he slowly nodded.

"With my life."

I decided to let him take the reins, hoping that a new position would make him more comfortable. I rolled onto my back, pulling on his arm to signal him to follow me. He did, straddling my hips, looking down at me with a sad expression. I rolled my hips, rubbing my thick cock against his perfect round ass, wiping the look of sadness clean off his face and eliciting a groan from him.

_You take control of it, baby. Go as slow as you need to._

Gripping my cock to steady it, he ran his thumb over the head to spread the copious precum around, lubricating me. Very slowly, he eased just my head into him. My god, he was so cold and tight - so much more than I imagined. So much _better_. This was my first time inside my imprint - my first time inside _anyone_. I gritted my teeth, trying to control the urge to cum on the spot. Encouraged by my reaction, he continued to ease me inside of his body, until he had seated himself fully, his ass resting on the tops of my thighs. My hands rose to his hips, stroking the sharp bones with my thumbs, mentally encouraging him to move.

I watched the muscles in his legs contract as he slowly, so tortuously slowly, rose up so that only the tip of me remained inside him, before taking me back in completely. His head lolled back at the sensation and he growled. _So fucking sexy._ That was enough to make him pick up the pace, and I watched him in awe, trying to distract myself from the insane pleasure that his fucking tight channel was giving me. I focused on his muscles playing beneath his skin, his cock bobbing comically as he moved above me with increasing speed.

Leaning over me and placing one hand on either side of my torso, he continued his movements. The new angle allowed my cock to probe his prostate, and the erotic cry that clawed it's way out of him brought me way too close to my own undoing. He picked up the pace even more, so fast that he was nearly a blur above me, just blatantly using my cock to tease his spot over and over again. I fucking loved that.

God, he was so beautiful, bouncing on my cock, his back arching to take me in deeper. Watching him like that was causing the coil in my belly to tighten, threatening to burst, and I had to close my eyes. I wanted him to cum first. Blindly grabbing at his thick cock, I pumped him hard and fast as he rose and fell above me. An obscene, long, drawn out moan graced my ears as I felt his cool walls clamp down around my cock. Cold venom splattered against my chest and then I was cumming, cumming, cumming - harder than I'd ever cum in my life. My mind went completely blank as he fell on top of me.

As we struggled to catch our breath, all I could think about was how perfect our mixed scents smelled, and how at home I felt, cradling my vampire in my arms.

My love. My _life_. I would never let him go again.


	25. Epilogue

**3 years later**  
  
Stirring from my slumber, I stretched out my long limbs on the king size bed, disappointed to find that I was alone. I yawned loudly, relishing the familiar rush of air filling my lungs. The air hung heavy with the scent of sizzling pork -  bacon . Lazily, I palmed my morning wood as I climbed out of bed to investigate the enticing aroma that made my stomach growl in anticipation. A quick glance in the mirror showed my hair in disarray, but I didn’t stop to fix it - he liked it that way. Sleep hair was the same as sex hair in his estimation.  
  
My lovely imprint was in the kitchen, preparing my breakfast. I couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by how lucky I was - my mate didn’t even eat, yet here he was, cooking - for  me . He ignored me, even though he could hear my every thought. He liked to pretend we were normal, and since I hadn’t said anything, he shouldn’t be aware I was there. I kind of liked it - it gave me some sense of privacy, although I didn’t really mind that he knew everything about me.  
  
I took my opportunity to admire his bare back, the sinewy muscles rippling beneath his skin as he showed off, flipping the bacon in the pan impossibly high in the air. Of course, he caught it easily. My eyes dropped downward, picturing what was hidden within those thin drawstring pajama pants. I marvelled at the curve and valley of his round, perky ass. I’d seen it a million times at this point, but I never got tired of it. It was a truly perfect ass. My morning wood twitched as I eye-fucked him, and he shifted on his feet, affected by my thoughts, but still not turning to face me.   
  
Closing the gap between us, I lined up my cock with the divide of his ass, pushing between his cheeks, so that those hard, round globes squeezed me delightfully. Edward groaned and pushed back against me, tightening his rear muscles purposefully. God, I just wanted to fuck him, right here, against the stove.  
  
Edward hummed appreciatively at my idea. A droplet of precum escaped me and dampened his pants at the tailbone. “Kinda gives a new meaning to rise and shine,” he teased. I could tell by his tone that he was smirking, even though he faced away from me.  
  
A deep growl rumbled in my chest - I was so  turned on \- but suddenly, Edward spun around and pushed me up against the kitchen counter.  
  
“But I believe it’s my turn.”   
  
He licked and nipped lightly at my neck as he ground his hips against me. My cock jumped eagerly as his hardness rubbed me just the right way. Oh god, I just wanted him to fuck me  right now .  
  
“Later...bacon’s burning...” Edward let go of me to take the bacon off the stove top, and I groaned my disappointment. But, he was right, there was always time for fucking. My stomach growled loudly. Yeah, definitely should eat something first.   
  
I reached into the cabinet and took out two plates, part of the china set Marcus had sent as a housewarming gift. They were way to fancy to use just for bacon and eggs, but we didn’t have anything simpler - Edward liked to live with a little extravagance. I started to plate up the food as Edward washed the dishes. It was quiet as we focused on our separate tasks for a while before Edward suddenly broke the silence.  
  
“You know, I heard you that day when you found me - the day you imprinted.”  
  
Um, what? That came out of left field.  Huh?  
  
He dried off his hands and turned to face me, leaning up against the edge of the sink. He gave me a pointed look. “I could hear everything you said and thought.”  
  
I was kind of shocked by this sudden announcement, and I couldn’t find words to speak.  The whole time you were unconscious? He’d been unconscious for days! Who knows the myriad of  embarrassing things I probably thought during that time!  
  
Edward smiled my favorite crooked smile to try and soothe me. “No, not the whole time, just when you found me in the woods. Before I fell deeply into stasis. My mind was conscious at the time, but my body wouldn’t respond.”  
  
“Why are you bringing this up now?”  
  
Edward only shrugged. “It just popped into my head while you were sleeping last night.”  
  
Ok. I tried to remember what had happened. It felt like forever ago. I remembered kicking him, and then...the imprinting. I wondered what he might have heard in my mind when that happened.  So...did you hear when I imprinted?  
  
He shook his head. “No, the last thing I remember is you yelling at me. Something like,  Fucking bloodsucking leech cuntrag douchebag piece of trash. I'm gonna fucking kill you, you parasitic woman-stealing nasty dickwad! ”  
  
I was horrified at myself. I knew it wasn’t ‘something like that’. Edward pretty much had total recall - I’m sure that was  exactly what I had said. My wolf’s heart sank.  
  
Edward laughed and pulled me in for a kiss. “But look at us now.” He nuzzled his face against the pulse point in my neck, and I knew he wasn’t holding it against me. I relaxed against him, his cool hands stroking my back lovingly. “It’s okay, baby, I forgive you.”  
  
“Forgive me for what?” a tiny voice asked.  
  
Edward pulled back from me to look at our little russet-skinned boy. “Oh sorry, Anthony. I meant Papa.”  
  
Anthony looked at me with innocent green eyes. His black hair was long and flowing, framing his adorable baby face. I smiled and explained gently, “Sometimes Daddy likes to call Papa ‘baby’.”  
  
Anthony’s eyes widened. “But, you no baby - Papa big boy!”   
  
We couldn’t help laughing at his sincerity and Edward scooped Anthony up for a group hug. Soon, Edward stepped away and carried Anthony over to the table.  
  
“Are you ready to eat breakfast?” Edward asked, as he placed Anthony in his booster seat. “Bacon and eggs, your favorite. Just like Papa.” He put the plate in front of Anthony, and shot a stellar smile over his shoulder at me, beckoning me to sit down at the table. “You coming?”  
  
I nodded, smiling softly, but I didn’t join them yet. I was enjoying the scene. Watching my soul mate try to get our giggling son to sit still and eat, I couldn’t imagine a better life. The trials and heartache we faced had been well worth it.   
  
We knew now that there was nothing that could ever break us apart.


End file.
